Getting grounded

After feeling like I've been free falling I finally touched down and started working. And just like that the first packet is due in one week.

My daily journal practice is moving along. I bought a very nice little moleskin watercolor journal. Since I bought it I've done a quick sketch every day. It's amazing how much peace and calm comes from those 3-10 minutes. Shoes and plants? What was I thinking? I've also been walking and running every morning. At last! It feels good and helps me with the rest of day and feeling more energy and focus for work (both teaching and making art).

My teaching jobs are going nicely.  I feel calm and confident when teaching. I really enjoy it. I love my University class. My adult students are wonderful. It helps me to be more patient with myself as I watch them be so hard on themselves. It's also exciting encouraging their creative explorations. They started out so timid but now they're really going for it! I'm wondering how teaching plays into my identity as an artist? When I started this process I wanted to put my "teacher" identity aside to focus on my "artist" identity. But I am a teacher. I need to bring all parts of me together not separate or compartmentalize parts of me.

The work - going slow but going. I'm having fun playing with the SAM animation program. The "Fish" animation was fun to make and I learned a lot. I need to pay more attention to the background, lighting and be more precise with my work. I'll keep working on it.

I'm playing around with forms. We'll see what comes from my experiments with fiber fill, gesso and paint.

It's hard to just play with materials with out feeling guilty. I feel like I need a plan. Things have to be heading toward something. Staying open is harder than I thought it would be.

Researching my ladies has taken a few fun turns into the unexpected. I'm in love Xenobia Bailey.(Thanks Seitu for the recommendation) I think I will be able to interview her. I think she'll be cool. I also discovered Mad Museum and new artists through that sight. I'm still exploring Art 21 which has so much to offer.

The best part of researching contemporary African American artists is finding others who simply look like me. It's surprising how important this still is to me even as an adult. I just feel less lonely seeing these faces and bodies that look like mine. I also find it interesting that in many ways I'm not connected to these other African American artists. We're the same but very different.