I am definitely missing the residency space this week. It’s the first full week of school, and I sort of fell into my routine finally yesterday. I’m sure something will fuck that up at some point, but for now, it feels OK. Except it doesn’t. I still haven’t put all the mixed dyes away…even though they’ve been out of the fridge for over a week and are probably gone. I just want to try again tomorrow. We’ll see. What I really want is that daily feeling of freedom to do art all day. Or not. Honestly, I did make art every day. It was kind of a compulsion. Hours of how I really want to spend my time, and I’m trying to be OK with just an hour every night. Or last night’s 56 minutes. Because I graded until 9:30 PM. Because this day job does that to you.
I’m still drawing. Scribble starts out on the drawing every time and eventually I persuade her that I need to draw right where her butt is and then she gets offended and leaves. Sorry kitty.
She does like a good mechanical pencil. And the paper bits I cut off. And the eraser. It’s just playtime for her.
Wednesday night’s drawing…
And then last night…
It can’t be too complicated (she says, after drawing a fairy ring with like 40 pieces in it). I’m probably close to done. I cut it down a little bit. I’m trying not to add ALL the details I normally would. It’s a tight deadline. I have all deadlines for the next 6 months. Hopefully I can turn some of them into the things I wanted to make anyway. That’s how I like to do it.
I’m supposed to hear today about two shows I entered before I left on the residency. Hopeful but not assuming. Both are local, which is nice. I need to get my head around some upcoming entries too. That’s also a tomorrow thing. Tomorrow is art and a hike…even though I think I broke my pinky toe. I think it’s better today. Black and blue and sore, but not as painful as yesterday. Good times. Can’t start a school year without fucking some part of the body up.
OK, I’m hoping to finally make it to ceramics today. I have to be strong and brave and drive there even if I’m tired. Even if I only make it for an hour. Make fresh tea, brought a change of clothes in case it’s hot (it’ll be hot), got my headphones so I can listen to the rest of the weird book I started on the way back from Oregon. It’s my plan. Back into a routine of making, despite the day job. The day job…I graded 1/2 the tests last night…interesting who is already coming out as having language issues. Some I knew about and expected, and some I didn’t. Today we talk about observation and inference, and set up for next week’s labs, and maybe get some other shit ready to go. We’ll see. Complicated. High needs day…so many of those. Yesterday was less of that…it was nice to have a break from it.
That’s for anyone who needs it. Me and all of you. I sent an email to try and get back some of my stitched pieces I had loaned out. I suspect they’re a loss…it’s not the first time I’ve asked for them. So frustrating. Hours spent on them. Wish people would respect that type of work more. Some do, some don’t. OK. Work. I gotta go there and figure things out. Without that face that fish thing has. Learn some more names today. Grade some more things. Take a breath and figure some more stuff out. Go do clay things. Come home. Do drawing things. Make Saturday mine. Because the other days apparently aren’t.
Kathy Nida 