Ready and waiting

Sitting down to blog feels absolutely foreign. I think picking up a brayer or can of ink would feel even more strange. It's been awhile, to say the least, since I've thought about making anything art-related. I finished up this print right before I left Ohio. (The only large vertical piece I made)

Submerge : Emerge, Collagraph Monoprint

The whirlwind move from Ohio to Wyoming was just that and I feel like I never stopped moving. There was not a lot of time to get resettled before I hit the ground running at my new job. Things are going really well with the residency program. The Pilot Program that I designed is at capacity with some really amazing talent coming to visit Wyoming this fall.

I've been working 60-80 hours a week on the project but I'm ready for a break. It's time to start setting up a spot for myself to make some art. It will be strange not having a press, but I know I will manage. Perhaps collage, drawing and collecting will come back into play.

Having not made work for over two months or so, it's funny when you realize that the act of making is not a want, but a need. It is the balance I crave in a busy, busy world. Becoming more of a spiritual practice, the act of creating can transcend just the decorative.

I truly believe all the arts are valuable to society. Art and Humanities have the power to change, slow a person down to think, tap into emotions and soak up the world that we too often take for granted. Which makes what I am doing here at Brush Creek even more valuable. I think there will be a good chunk of education that I didn't realize I would have to do. But it will all be worth it!

(After typing a few paragraphs, I also realized the intense connection between word and image for me. Writing plays a crucial role in the image that unfolds. They are not always one in the same, but compliment each other in an inextricable way.)

It is exciting to think how many other makers I will come in contact with in the coming months. Johntimothy and Patti have been phenomenal first residents-- both making leaps and bounds in their work but more important, reminding me why I need to carve time away for my own creation. It feeds the soul. And I am ready and waiting to feed my soul a little bit more.