I spent the past weekend painting my apartment. A light green color called Heart of Palm on the main wall and a light yellow on the adjacent wall. I absolutely love the look of it. I've been spending so much time staring at these walls, working from home, that after a year of living in this place...I had to do something to spruce it up. I love it! I can scratch out two items off my to-do list. Yay!
Then on Monday I spent the day at the beach with my sister and my niece. There was hardly anyone there...which helped with the social distancing. Unfortunately, I have been far too pale for far too long to have spent so many hours at the beach. My shoulders are crispy. But it was lovely to be near the water, listening to the waves, feeling the cool wind while reading and relaxing.
We are rounding the corner on 2019 and I thought I would sit here and play ketch-up. It's snowing today. It's been a grey day all day and we are supposed to get a nor'ester storm later this evening. Gale force winds and snow. I am hibernating. I took the day off before I ever knew about the storm. So glad to be indoors today. I've been playing Ani DiFranco in the background for the better part of the day while I did some creative work. I finally changed it over to some Christmas music. Mariah Carey is singing All I Want For Christmas. I can't help bobbing along to the song.
I am late on Christmas shopping. It's the first week and I have only bought one gift. Ergh! I think that might be the only one I get this year. My poor nieces will just have to get an envelope of cash from me. Poor things! I have plenty of time to get my family gifts...but I just don't wanna! I am so over the crowded Christmas crowds. Maybe I'll just buy everyone socks this year. Haha! Just kidding...well kind of. In the grand scheme of things, who cares? It's just more STUFF! Stuff that will get stuffed in over-stuffed drawers never to see the light of day again. I think my capitalist gene died this year. We will be holding a wake for it any day now. Just need to get the bottle of tequila sitting at my work desk to pour one for the homies. Haha!
I'm in a bit of silly mood. I've spent the weekend writing and spending time doing creative work. I feel almost human again. It's been too long. I put an entry into an Emerging Writing Program with the Public Theater. I didn't think I was going to follow through with it because on most given days, I feel like that ship has sailed. BUT...then I think, why not? I have nothing to lose. Better to put in an application and get a rejection than NOT applying.
My goal for the month of December is to find some creative projects to work on. I'm going to push past my comfort zone and find some new ways to challenge my creative brain. It's been lying dormant for about three years now...no more excuses. Off the top of my head, here are some things I've been thinking about:
1. Continue to learn French. Perhaps get over my shyness and speak it, out loud.
2. Sign up for another drawing class.
3. Attend art lectures after work.
4. Take a cooking class.
5. Take a jewelry-making class.
6. Learn welding. Yes, for art projects
7. Learn weaving.
8. I've even thought of ballet classes but I can't get the Fantasia image of hippo in a tutu out of my head. Again...working on getting past my comfort zone.
I will have to try a few things and see what I connect with.
On a last note, I'm going to leave you with Eartha Kitt's- Santa Baby
I've been:
packing
drinking
watching women's soccer
making endless to do lists
resisting the urge to smoke again
huddling in bed waiting for a migraine to subside
getting my nails done in metallic purple
looking for an apartment
wishing it was Friday on a hungover Monday
raising my face to the rain on a hot humid day
remembering lost friends and lovers
mental note to pick up Pandora's prescriptions, buy her food, and clean her box
wanting, wanting, wanting to sit on a beach and watch the waves crash
resisting the urge to smash glass
stealing time with my journal to write
finding it's not enough
feeling empty staring at the blank page
careless with words
careless with time
watching the future with it's gaping maw opening wide
my tongue has gone dry
the song is stuck on pause skipping over the same word...want, want, want
the list continues endlessly stretching out unfolding down the street, getting wet under the summer rain.
I write and I paint. Then I try to articulate some coherent thoughts about the creative process on this blog. In between those moments of producing work, I take photos, listen to groovy music, watch indie movies, read (a lot), go hear live music (preferably someone that rocks), go to the theater to see a new play from time to time, watch sci-fi movies, and continue to cultivate my curiosity. Then I write about that too.
