Blessings

The great, creative, and prolific Dale Mackey (long may she live) once revealed to me the clever way in which she maintained work/life balance and perspective. She said (I paraphrase), "I think of my full time job as a grant I get every two weeks that allows me to pursue all the creative projects I do."

That slight shift in mindset-- from job as drudgery or chore to job as opportunity that funds creative work-- is a smart one. I think it could be an especially helpful way for creative people to frame the less-than-dream-jobs we take to make ends meet, pay the bills, keep the lights one, and other such practical matters. It's a more optimistic point of view.



One of the first serious art teachers I had was Tim Massey, who taught printmaking to punky and artistically inclined high school students at Tennessee's Governor's School for the Arts. At the end of our class he laid it to us straight:

The best thing you can do after this class is to decide that art is too hard. Quit now and go do something else. Short of that you should think about getting a job at the post office. You'll have regular hours and can retire with a good pension. 

That practical advice was most likely lost on us, but I've thought of it every so often over the last decade. In considering the wisdom of both Mackey and Massey it occurred to me that rather than worry over my progress in the liminal state of casting about for jobs while I live with my parents (the cliche of my generation?), I could instead view this period of time as the opportunity that it is. Almost like an artist's residency. I'm in an interesting city, my bills are minimal, I live with nice people who are also pursuing their work, we gather for meals, and I have a free studio a short distance from where I live.

With that in mind, I hope to set parameters for a small body of work to be produced in the next six weeks. More on that later. In the meantime, more stitching on To What End chain and lesson planning.