Leo (Zodiac stick doll series)

This one reminds me of several Leos I have known. Funny I never notice how crooked the facial features are until I photograph them. It's okay, I still wouldn't change them once they're made. Can't wait to dig in to the new technique for straight eyes, though. It will help a lot.

Is it possible to have too much inspiration, though? Today I pulled out an old watercolor I made to use as a guide for an art quilt I want to make for the Quilting Arts calendar challenge. Also, I feel after last weekend's play day that I want to teach. I never really knew this about myself, but I really loved teaching about dolls last week and something tells me I simply have to pursue that some more. That means finding venues and people to teach, of course, so I'm ready to do some legwork in that area. Finally, I just received Teesha Moore's Art and Life Zine (it's really wonderful --check it out) and got some really yummy ideas for embellishing my next doll. That's three major creative pursuits in one day. Yikes. The ideas are just percolating up from the bottom and I'm so excited that I'm distracted from my "regular" life. The Art and Life theme is definitely something I need to work on blending. Art and Life, making art and having a life, placing art into the life I've already made for myself, etc. There are many ways to think about this theme.

Excuse me while I indulge in something I'm fretting over right now. And this comes from always reading blogs which make me feel like I'm missing something when it comes to incorporating an "artful" life and my regular ol' life as mom/chauffer/school volunteer, etc. In my corner of the world, there seem to be some pretty hefty seams running through all of it, and it's uncomfortable when I can't even think about anything but finishing a doll I'm working on (or whatever it happens to be at the moment). This is an area I truly struggle to work through; how to fulfill all my other roles and still get my art made, or my blog written, or whatever. Not that there's a huge audience waiting with baited breath for the next installment. It's really just me with this HUGE desire to create all this stuff. It's truly difficult to reconcile some days.

On top of this pressing feeling of reality dragging me down, there comes an email from the school asking me to get started on another year of writing/marketing, etc. The volunteer work was bordering on oppressive toward the end of last school year and I'm just sick about starting in on another year of it. I feel like I have too much other important work to do. But alas, it's just another doll waiting to be made, or an idea for a workshop I want to teach, right? In my life here in mom-ville/good citizen-ville it's difficult to explain to the people who ask or need my time, the importance of backing down from all these responsibilities to make this art thing happen.

This is a crucial point in time for me. I'm feeling the need to get my priorities straight. Funny thing is I'm realizing I get no peace or happiness from praying about all this stuff. Nothing but silence and doubt. I'm in a funk.

Would love some kind of breakthrough.