Sympathetic

Sympathetic
Acrylic mixed media collage portrait painting
daily painting: 365 day project
Day 30
Prints

Today I thought I’d write about some of my struggles throughout the first 30 days of the 365 day project. For the first two weeks I was painting, photographing, editing the photos, listing the painting and print, and creating a blog post every morning. It was a bit too hectic for my liking. It was like a race against the clock, which I had lots of energy for when I first started. However, that high energy waned as time progressed, and the newness of the 365 day project wore off. I knew it would happen, and I’d have to make some adjustments.

Then I quickly hit hard against the it’s not always possible to start and finish a new painting within a couple hours wall. There’s one painting coming up that’s taken me two weeks to finish, and it’s just a small 5×7. I had to keep working on it until I liked it, and it just. wasn’t. happening. I remember having to rush to get something else painted that morning, so I could make a blog post.

I also struggled with the amount of time it takes to write some blog posts, especially a long one like this. I need plenty of time to process, and work through whatever I’m trying to say. This post has taken me 3 days, and I’m still editing it right up to the last minute. There’s no way I could pull this all off in a morning. 

Speaking of blogging, I already told you about the issues I was having with Blogger. Luckily it was resolved quickly when I moved back over here. There was no way I had the patience required to deal with the crappiness of Blogger on top of everything else. 

With all these struggles going on, I knew I had to find a routine for this project that worked better for me. I wanted to slow it all down, and stop scrambling to meet my goals. A 2 to 3 hour window each morning wasn’t enough to get it all done. I have a neurotic type A personality. I sleep better at night when I’m slightly ahead of the game, so I pulled a double shift or two, and painted a couple extra paintings ahead of my blog schedule. It’s made a world of difference.

Now I can start preparing the photos, and blog post a day ahead of time. It gives me a little room to breathe, and if I decide I can’t live with a painting, it can go back to the studio without causing a major freakout. I’m less stressed in the morning now, and can take my time painting something new. No more rushing! 

The bottom line is this: I somehow got through the first month, and haven’t missed a day in the studio yet. I actually had extra studio time because I painted a little ahead. I feel good about that. Here’s hoping the 2nd month goes a bit smoother than the first.