Monday, March 30, 2009

the dreaded funk


so .... i'm in a funk ... an art funk ... march just hasn't been the art month i was hoping for .... 
i've worked on figuring out my art funk ... diagnosing the art funk illness, as it were ..... the symptoms? not doing art, not even really wanting to try to do art, not even wanting to go to the art studio and putter ..... i believe the causes for the symptoms are myriad .... 
here's a laundry list of art funk causes:
1...i live in a rental house (it's brown, very, very brown)
2...my studio is a mile away in my real house (reno, quite a mess, though looking better all the time)
3...my studio doesn't have running water (small symptom, i've been using the sink with a bucket of water, but still a hassle)
4....i've been traveling quite a bit ... not a bad thing, but not conducive to grand art days...
5... for the last 12 weeks i've been arting at allison's, but i haven't been there since the first week of march .... 
6 ... life not being free and easy and forgiving ... i.e... i'm overscheduling myself! .... costumes for the middle school play, tennis (practice, matches, captain, league scorekeeper), teaching sunday school, three children/three sports,   i've taken up running (worked my way up to four miles and hated it so much i'm back to two or three mile runs, har!) .... 

... all of this art funk is compounded by the calendar on my fridge where i color in the days that i do something artsy .... march is PALTRY and pitiful .... 

so ... once the art funk is diagnosed ... embrace it .... eat cookies, go running, play tennis (played with my best pal today and we LOST, 6-7, 6-7... that's TWO tie breakers we lost ... ack!), create a full set of cutlery costumes for your son,  the fork, and his friends (beauty and the beast, my sixth grade boy, the fork, is dancing with his arms around an eight grade girl ... i think she's a napkin ... maybe a plate?) ... so ... embrace the funk .... live the full and busy life and be unartful ... 

then.... defunkify .... make a plan ... and my plan is to BEAUTIFY my studio .... tra la la ... there ... i said it ... i've announced it to the world ... or at least to the four of you who are still reading my blog after this slow art funk march month .... 
i got this way cool groovy mag in the mail today .... it makes me happy ... i have the last two editions of it out on my coffee table as well ... and i have my plan .... clean and purge that art studio pit ... beautify ..... if you can't make art, at least make your art space groovy til the funk feeling is gone! 

so, tomorrow .... off to my reno house with the waterless studio ..... and i shall take pictures of the mess ... and what is a plan without the dreaded before pics? and i will take trash bags and a goodwill bag and my paper recycle bin and i even know which part i'm going to start with ... tra la la ..... and i'll start ... i won't get far .... cause i have a busy day of all the other stuff that fills my overfull life ... but i'll start ... and if i'm lucky, i won't get the cleaning done enough, cause i'll start painting ..... cross your fingers ....

10 comments:

Jeannie said...

fingers crossed
can't wait to see what you will create in your new studio -- which you deserve and should be reno'ed like the house!

go art girl go!

cath c said...

the cutlery costumes count! they waaay count. it's a full set!

cath c said...

and maybe it's time to revisit that happy list!

shrink on the couch said...

I'd like to follow your advice when I get into a psych funk, but no, must persevere. Hope your artsy side makes a comeback, soon!

Kelly Warren said...

sometimes we just need a break, sister! have fun redoing your studio once you are back in your house!

Martha Lever said...

I think it is good you have diagnosed the problems and you have some legit ones---you are just in limbo in your rental space and studio not finished. You will do great when all settles down. Do not be dismayed!

artmom said...

I like that last comment, "Do not be dismayed." We all get into funks and lack of creativity. Sometimes the best creativity comes out of a really good funk! Don't throw out too much "Stuff" from the studio....it is all useful and valuable or you would not have it there! Right? That sounds awfully "momish"!!!

Carmen said...

Don't be too hard on yourself. Funks happen. Breaks are needed.

xo,

Carmen

3rdEyeMuse said...

hehe - we've all seen the before's, but it is good for posterity ... am soooooo looking forward to the afters!!

Contessa Kris said...

I'll keep the fingers crossed for you. I've had the same funk this month. My cross off calendar looks much like yours I'm sure. I've had weeks of sickness, so no art. I'm working on organizing this week as well and ran to Michaels to take advantage of their sale on boxes to hold photos. I use them to organize stuff and they're so pretty too. Practically 3 for the price of one this week! Have fun cleaning, may it lead to loads of painting.