Five months and counting!

The Pilot Program at Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts is going into its final few weeks, and I couldn't be more excited. It's gone well, for the most part. Any time you start something from scratch there are bound to be unexpected kinks and uphill battles. Thankfully, I've had just as many rewarding moments!

Over the course of this new beginning, I've had the priveledge of providing time and space to some amazing and talented residents (visual artists, writers, composers and musicians). I am constantly reminded how important the creative process is, and in return, their unexpected gifts are reflected back to me. Gerri Sayler and Keeril Makan reminded me to continue my sitting practice (although I still haven't been very good at it!). Randall Shinn reminded me to balance work with play-- he started work at 4:30 or 5:30 am so he could fly fish in the afternoon and enjoy laughter-filled dinners with new friends. Oh, AND he finished his opera while in residence! So many other lessons have been learned...

Nearly fifty artists-in-residence have been given this gift of time and space during our trial run. With that many amazing people, you can imagine the stories, paintings, songs and laughs that have graced the walls and halls of Brush Creek Ranch. I feel pretty lucky to be a part of it! (You can probably also imagine that doesn't leave much time for me and my own artistic practice.) And guess what? There's more to come. In January we start welcoming the next group of residents to the ranch.

Between now and then, I get a little bit of a lighter schedule and some focused 'me' time. Translation: ART TIME! The holidays make that a little tricky with scheduling and shopping and family and what not. I'm a little nervous that I will waste this precious time doing silly, unproductive things. So I've started making lists and am scheming my plan of attack.

Reorganization of space will be high on the list. I've finally got my little space separated into three somewhat distinct units-- "work space/office," "studio/art space," and "living" (and with less than 300sq ft, this is tricky to do!). Of course right now the work/office space gets the most use and consequently spills over in studio/art space. For the next few weeks it will be my goal to focus my activity in studio/art and NOT let receipts-to-file or pre-arrival forms stack up on my studio table. I will be hanging homosote board so I can easily view works in progress and focus my eye upwards to art.

I can honestly say giving so much energy to this program has been a delight, but perhaps I have forgotten how to give back to myself. Uh-oh! Maybe it's time to read a few chapters of Art and Fear, and dive head first into my own work again.

Wish me luck!