9 Moons Ago

Thanks for all the comments for the last entry. I know that it’s going to take a little time to work things out, but I’ll get there. Been clearing a bit of space..Cam and I worked on cleaning the library last night. It feels good to get rid of the junk that’s been lying around. I’m going to have a nice soak in the tub soon too, and do some reading, writing and thinking. In a couple of days, my sister-in-law and her fiance are spending the night, so that will be fun and something to look forward to! The days have been nice lately, although a little blustery yesterday. Still, Gus and I had a good walk in the late afternoon. It’s going to be getting really warm soon….summer is here tomorrow! And that’s about it for tonight!

I’ve not been doing well with Art Everyday Month, have I? I don’t know what it is, really, but I haven’t been enthusiastic about blogging or visiting blogs lately. Maybe it’s blog fatigue?
Well, I don’t want to leave 9 Moons Ago in the lurch, so it’s time to think about what I can do to re-inspire myself.

When I first launched into this site I was heavily inspired by Loobylu and Danny Gregory, and I still like those blogs a lot, but I don’t get the same feeling about them that I had back in February of 2004. Along the way I discovered other blogs, some of which I’ve yet to link to, and they’ve all proved to be inspiring as well, yet lately I don’t do much more than drop in and quickly read them. I rarely comment on any these days. Perhaps I’ve been relying too much on other blogs as my main source of inspiration for my own, when there is so much out there that I’m not looking at.

I know that before I had my bipolar episode this year, I was reading and writing with much passion, and doing artwork that I was proud of. Had ideas in the works and felt that I was ready to tackle bigger artistic projects. Before and after the hospital, I began writing some strange entries, and then out of nowhere came poetry. Some of it good, some of it not. And as I recovered, I felt that my regular writing began to be more matter-of-fact, boring even: “Today I did this. Tomorrow I might do that.” And I felt I’d lost my way with creating, even though I did some art on the computer, and a little bit of sketching here and there.

I know that I can get back to a place of inspiration and motivation again, but right now I’m not there yet. Forcing myself to draw every day is not the answer. Although Art Everyday Month isn’t about forcing the work, it just feels forced to me if I’m not excited by what I’m doing. So I’ve decided to have a good think session and see what ideas I can come up with to jump-start my creativity. It might be doing the Artists Way or Vein of Gold (creativity workbooks), but it might not be. I have a problem with starting things and not finishing them, so it might be better to come up with a plan of my own. Completion being one goal.

Perhaps the answer won’t lie in doing artwork right now, although I know I’ll still be making art. Perhaps my inspiration will come from other sources. I’ve got some ideas, but I’m keeping tight lipped about them right now.

So I’m making it a goal to reverse this trend of withdrawal, and start sharing myself and my enthusiasm once more. I’m not going to say when or how often I’ll post here, or make a commitment of having art on every post. I’m going to think about when, how and why I started this blog, and what I want it to become. I’m going to think of ways to re-inspire myself and what I want to say to people. I’m going to brainstorm, experience, work and play. I’m going to reflect, refresh, and evaluate. We’ll see where it goes from here….

Here’s my stash!:

Two tubes of paint to replenish my oil paint supply, 3 soft lead pencils, one square sketchbook and a smaller 8 x 5 sketchbook and 6 canvases! Got everything on my list. Whee!

For my first drawings in my square sketchbook, I drew Mum and Dad’s cat, sleeping in front of the fireplace:

Had a nice dinner and funny conversations (from everything to Kay Kyser to the Clash) at Mum and Dad’s. Decided we’ll have Thanksgiving over there and Mum and I planned our grocery lists. Dad also gave us some tomato plant seedlings, so before summer hits we’re going to make raised beds with rabbit proof fencing in a corner of our yard.

Later, Cam and I swung round Adrian’s and had good conversation with him and a couple of his roommates. Had organic dark chocolate and Gloria Jean’s choc. coffee..Can you say yum?! Despite the caffeine late at night, I managed to get to sleep rather quickly.

Today Daniel called up and we invited him to the Thanksgiving dinner, forgetting that he’s vegetarian. But he accepted since there’ll be lots of veggies and stuffing, which we’ll make with vegetable broth. Going to invite Adrian as well. Ebony will be there that night too, so it should be lots of fun!

Tonight I’ll be preparing the filling for the pumpkin pie, since here in Melbourne there is no such thing as canned pumpkin! It really isn’t as much work as you might think. The fact that we have a food processor helps. Basically it’s three steps: chop, steam and blend. And I think the end result tastes amazing. Can’t wait!

After all the shopping I did at the art store I managed to leave with enough money for a dinner of fish and chips! So that’s another thing to look forward to tonight. Another day of good things in this Thanksgiving week.

Wheee!! Although I probably won’t be posting anything else today, I’m doing something to furthur my artwork. Today I exchanged what American cash I had with me, and we’re off to Eltham to visit the art supply store!! I’ve got some things in mind, such as a couple of tubes of paint, some canvases, a sketchbook and some pencils..should be lots of fun!! Love getting new supplies.
Then we’re off to Mum and Dad’s for a meatloaf dinner and possibly a stay overnight. If Daniel and Adrian are free tonight maybe we’ll swing round and see them, too!
Lots of good, happy things going on.
It’s a beautiful day for a drive, so off we go! I’ll swing ’round here tomorrow and tell all about my cornucopia!