It has to have been a week like that for many last week. I came thudding to a halt as if a thick wooden door of ancient proportions locked me away from myself. The only thought through the sludge, I have to start something of my own within the next 3 years.

Oh, HON! You are so right on -- and you're not the only one --- it seems like breathing itself is amplified and on warp speed and 'life' is lost in the process. I miss it too -- and your art too - because, while you don't mean for it to happen -- it just does -- you are like our model and exemplify (or try to) what we ALL on your list are trying to do. It's so good to hear such honesty and to know that we are not alone as we ALL SEEM to struggle with the everyday distractions and have-to's, and slips on the real road. Know,cara, you're not alone ... and perhaps we, en masse, can help one another back on track. I so appreciate your honesty and how difficult is the road ...

The only thing...THE ONLY thing that saves me from ills mentioned in this post is:

1) Shabbat (Jewish sabbath)
2) Mindfullness Meditation

When I'm lax on either of these things...I'm a king sucker for all the mind junk out there. And yes, the days fly by...and they fly by fast.

thank you for this.

truly.

I'm sorry to hear that being so busy with so many outstanding projects has taken a toll. Perhaps you are just too darned talented and in demand for your own good!

My experience with some of these kinds of activities has been quite different.

Through sketchcrawls I've met many lovely people with whom I share common interests and whose company I thoroughly enjoy. Blogging has brought new friends into our lives, meeting people in our city who we might not have encountered otherwise.
The few demo classes I've been to have opened my eyes and helped me to see my world, and my art, in new ways. Has it hurt my drawing? I hope not, but I would have to leave that assessment to more objective people. It certainly hasn't diminished my enjoyment of doing it.

Perhaps it all comes down to a matter of balance and timing.

There is time to take a nature walk and find a sunny patch of marsh grasses; a time for drawing them; a time for musing about the color and technique to capture that moment in paint, for choosing the right tools; a time to answer a child's question about them; a time to sit quietly with one's spouse and just enjoy them; a time to blog about the moment and share the experience with friends. A time to compare notes with net friends who like botanical subjects. It's all good.

No TV.
No Mags.
No Movies.
Rare, only-meaningful, social dinners.
A blog that feeds my most important self.
Growing a caterpillar, etc.
Belly breathing.
Ballet.
Support.

Good luck with yours.

“Art is only art when it is synonymous with living.”
--Alexander Girard

As someone who had coincidentally firmly adopted the word "everyday" long before I ever heard of you, I have come to believe we 'everydayers' are of a tribe. Our tribe members are challenged by this very thing - the constant remembering of what is truly important. We strive to remember every second (of everyday) but, due to - whatever - we loose sight of it FOR A WHILE and then we see it again, pound our fists on our foreheads and ask ourselves how it ever happened AGAIN. And then... yes it happens again. Our job is to remind others of this so we, at the same time, remind ourselves... again.

Everday does matter!
Their are those who judge you on how many pieces of Art - you sell!
And then their are those who understand --why we create.

you said a crazed, hyperactive, hyperabsorbent, need-to-get-a-grip mouthful that time my friend. the moon must be in a "we can experience and relish in it all" phase. I had this same conversation, although less eloquently expressed, with a friend last night as we lay on our respective couches feeling exhausted and yet unfilfilled...and we were discussing the details of the class we have planned for next saturday. dana

take a nice, long hiatus. we'll see you when you decide to come back

RIGHT ON Brother! Draw before it is all history....

Totally. This is exactly how I feel: spent.

All this browsing, planning, comsuming, blogging, shopping, achieving & listmaking is not what I really want to do. Yet I forget! Thanks for reminding me.

(Last year I used to have one computer free day a week. I don't remember how, when or why I stopped.)

Hi Dan,I just made the same type of announcement to the art group I'm currently associated with. Be careful of the tatoo, wedding bands are less permanent.

Amen, amen, amen.

I am walking the same path, with a horrendous case of job-itis.

My pens are all dried up. My journals misplaced.

The new watercolor Moleskine sits unused.

I am shutting this damn laptop right now and picking up a pen.

Amen Brother!
I just re-read Dan P's Moonlight Chronicles. Yipppeee! Now I'm going outside to paint. No, really. I am.

:) H

In my own life, framing the day with mindfulness and vipassana meditation keeps me grounded. As life's busyness wraps around me, I too often meditate/AM less and do more... until I feel all wound up and realize that I need to BE more and DO less.

Hee Hee Hee - it must be that the moon is in retrograde and throwing many of us creative folks into this pond of contemplation as of late. It does seem that life is so much more complex and there is so much more for us to burn our attention on than ever before. BUT, it is good that this is acknowledged because it means there is awareness to it and, where there is awareness, there is life!

Bravo Danny!
I really wondered how you managed everything.

About a month ago, my son's school promoted a screens-free week (no tv or computer). I might try a few days of it myself... after the season finale of House, of course.

We are, as you so aptly pointed out, totally inundated with the excrutiating stimuli of our electronic age. To my mind, the trick is to pay attention to our own needs. My idol is my stepson, a young man who has broken away from the ratrace and although he runs his own advertising agency (successfully), he takes times for himself and his young family regularly. He seems to know just how much he can handle without feeling completely squeezed and his frequent "time outs" serve to re-energize him and his creative spirit. TIME OUT - I think we all need it, and I'm pretty sure your wife and son would love a time out with you.

Are you saying people who blog, shop for supplies, go on sketchcrawls are not living deeply too?

Hi Danny. I feel bad for you being so darned busy that you don't have time for what makes you happiest.

When I first married my guy, (40 years ago) everything was so exciting and new. We couldn't wait to see what the next day would bring.

We just ran ourselves ragged making love, being together, and thinking about each other every minute of the day. We had no time for anything else. But over time our love deepened and mellowed into something that is a bit less "hot" but much much richer.

I think you are in the "hot hot hot" phase of your love affair/success with art.

Soon, you will figure out how much to spend of yourself, and how much to save for yourself. And your life will come into balance again. In my experience, few changes come without pain/discomfort/unhappiness first.

It's kinda too bad we have to give up the "hot hot hot" to get to the deep and mellow, because it's such a magical time. But few people can keep up the intensity for long, no matter how much in love you are.

You are just getting ready for a good change. (I just hope it doesn't involve giving up your blog because I'm sucking up everything that you are putting out there)
Thanks for sharing.

Life is about constantly refocusing ourselves to our true North. Don't beat yourself up about losing sight of your drawing, just pick up the pen and have a go. We judge ourselves much more harshly than anyone else ever would. Choose what feeds you and put the rest on a backburner.

sending you much energy

Kathleen

I like how some people mention the moon's effects on our creativity. I'm definitely a believer in that! The moon is currently waning down into a cresent..which means a new moon is on the way and it's time to wrap up old projects so that the new moon can bring in new projects...don't worry, Danny, like the moon, this is just a phase!

It is reassuring to see that someone as talented as you feels the way I do at times.

BTW, I LOVE HOUSE and it is a great way to spend some down time.

Sounds like it's time to reevaluate the priorities, and then get rid of half of them. I hope the blog doesn't go away, but if you need to do that for sanity's sake, so be it. You need to have some fun. Great, silly, tablespoons full of fun.

Are you seriously getting a tattoo? I am all for it! Render it yourself and it'll be great, I know it.

Danny, what a great post and fascinating dialog created in the comments. I utterly agree with you that we all have to live life in order to have something real inside our hearts to express. Without everyday life, we have nothing to express. Someone else said it: it all boils down to Balance which I'm sure you already know. It's easy to forget in the rush of new love, new success, new recognition. No need to answer any of these comments or emails or whatever. Just keep on living and take it easy and we'll see you back on your blog in times when you're ready for this part of living.

*phew* I'm not alone..
I luv my work and i hate working at the same time.
I loathed waking up every morning to step into office, but i cant imagine life without that routine.
I feel disgusted at myself being unproductive, but i cant bring myself to fully concentrate.
it's a extremely irritating frustation cycle that i still failed to lift myself out.

That is a fantastic illustraion! Love your style!

enjoy the journal and all the comments. very supportive.

ha. super duper. keep on keepin on danny and appreciate it as it goes.

Yes. Absolutely. Love your kid in a candy store analogy.

I find myself doing the same with books. I buy them, I browse the library, reading -about- books and collecting books I want to read, instead of actually reading. Too much choice. By sitting reading one, there are others unread. So I end up reading nothing.

'... let your affairs be as two or three, not a hundred or a thousand . Instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumbnail.' - Thoreau

Danny, you remind me of this poem I found some years ago:

The Guy in the Glass

When you get what you want in your struggle for pelf,
And the world makes you king for a day,
Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that guy has to say.

For it isn't your father, or mother, or wife,
Whose judgment upon you must pass.
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life,
Is the guy staring back from the glass.

He's the fella to please, never mind all the rest,
For he's with you clear up to the end.
And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test,
If the guy in the glass is your friend.

You can fool the whole world through the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass.
But your final reward will be heartache, and tears,
If you've cheated the guy in the glass.

-anonymous

I thought you might enjoy.
...dave

I think we all get into these ruts. I find I am so involved in my freelance illustration illustration work that I lose sight of the work I love to do for myself. I find I need to clear my schedule, grab a sheet of paper and just draw and draw and draw.