#insteadof #creativeblock #thankyoucovid19

Like many artists, many people for that matter, I’m experiencing the different phases of grief since SARS-COV-2 has impacted the normal routines and workings of society.

I put much of the focus on my creative day-job, for which I am extremely thankful, and I look forward to seeing my colleagues and how they are adjusting to work-life at home.

If I’m honest with myself, I seem to have lost the stamina for creative work outside of work. I can find all kinds of reasons not to go back into the studio after spending the day there, working on the computer. I see all the gorgeous bottles of pigments on my studio table gathering dust, the dried pots of ink I forgot to clean weeks ago, and the scraps of beeswax waiting for months to be incorporated into some new project.

It’s not like I’m sitting around with nothing to do, but attention has drifted away from creative time in the studio. In this time of social and cultural upheaval, there are other ways of finding comfort…

Cuddle! With the dog in my lap while working from home

Bake bread! No-kneed recipe by Mark Bittman

Garden! Heirloom tomatoes and ground cherries

Sew! Just in case we run out of masks this fall

Beach! Spending the day with the family

Sunday drive! Spending the day exploring new areas from the car

Hike! Walking in wilderness is good for the soul

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