Countdown...

Two weeks and counting...school starts, again! Well, band camp starts for my hubby, so in essence school starts for me, too.

This summer, like all of them lately, has flown by, with all the usual resolutions only half accomplished, and anticipation of a new set of "trees" to plant making me a little nervous. If things were as we all wish they were sometimes, I would be a 'homebody' in a heartbeat...but, sadly, one cannot live on "homebody" alone. Unless one has the "home business" of life, with all bills paid and savings that has survived the assault on the economy, working in the home studio becomes a wonderful "get to" for the summer months/weeks and a distant "wish I could" during the school year. And this said, it is not because I don't enjoy teaching; it is that part of the artist that gets in the "zone" and would love to stay there all day. [By the way, for the uninitiated, the best description of the artistic "zone" would be that sudden awareness, after driving from point A to point B, that you have indeed arrived safely and have no idea how you did it because you don't remember a thing about the trip. Scarey, isn't it?]

A very wise AP instructor was asked during our time training with him, how he overcomes the time crunch juggling between his teaching and his craft. He said he finally decided that the two should not be mutually exclusive - he set aside a corner of his art room that he made into his studio at his school. He works on his art while his students work on theirs, and he takes a break every so often to check on them and answer questions, etc. He has the benefit of working while he teaches, and they have the benefit of SEEING how an artist actually makes art a living. Win - win!! I have made an attempt at doing just this in my room at school - first, because I believe his suggestion to have great wisdom, and second, because I'm tired of introducing myself to professional artists as a "jack of all mediums - master of none" artist. You know, the old saying, "them what can, do, and them what can't, teach..."?

I love using many mediums (media???) to work in, not at the same time. ;o) I sense that my strong suits are in pencil, colored pencil, and pastels, each of which are a time consuming medium. So, usually, I have several going at the same time. Also, I try to keep the project I am working on with my elementary classes "in process" so as I help them accomplish it weekly. This often necessitates my doing it twice - to have a finished product and one that is still being worked on. I teach a rather large expanse of levels, so keeping projects going for all of them is consuming in itself (hence my summer attempts at readiness!), but I have enjoyed working on my own projects at the same time the kids are. And the oooooohs and ahhhhhs are quite the heart booster...;o)

Well, I know I won't have this much time to blog once the mayhem begins, but thanks for bearing with the ramblings from my time off. To us all, "Carpe' diem..."