End of June Check-In
These past two weeks since my last check-in have gone by very quickly. I greatly enjoyed my trip to Yosemite. Yosemite experienced record-breaking snowfall this winter, so there was a lot of flooding and the waterfalls were bursting. I went on a lot of hikes (through some of said waterfalls) and took many reference photos, which I hope to paint a few paintings from one day.
What I’ve been working on:
Since getting back from Yosemite, I’ve been working diligently on my Joshua Tree Painting for the Wildling Museum call for art that is due July 10th. I felt stressed about the state the painting was in when I had returned from Yosemite because I felt like I had a lot of painting ahead of me. But after intensely painting only this painting for a little over a week, I feel much better about it and think that I’m getting close to being finished. On the flip side, I’m reaching a point where I don’t know how much longer I can keep looking at the painting because I’ve stared at it for hours and hours on end. There’s also a writing component to the application, so I’ve been working on that as well, and I think everything will be ready by the deadline.
The only other thing that I’ve been working on has been figuring out where to hold my San Francisco Open Studios event, since I don’t live or have a studio in San Francisco. Hopefully I’ll have something figured out by my next update!
Inputs
I re-read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert for the second or third time. I feel like the book resonated with me a bit more now that it’s been over half a year since I started to paint consistently and take painting more seriously.
Along similar lines, I’m reading The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. It’s been helping me stay focused on my Joshua Tree painting and also feel less overwhelmed by the other ideas I have for paintings. I think a consistent struggle that I have had since I started painting full time is that I have a lot of ideas and a lot of projects I want to work on, but I try to work on them all at once and get overwhelmed. I think I’ve finally settled into a practice where I am working on only one project, and I’ve been feeling less overwhelmed and more productive. I also feel less stress around starting my work day at a certain time and trying to force myself to paint for a certain number of hours. I’ve been more flexible with my time and I think I’ve finally gotten out of the 9-5 mindset that I used to work in. I’ve realized that I have to work differently when I paint and create something and I’m kinder to myself about it.
Outputs
With all the traveling and focused painting I’ve been doing this month, I’ve been trying to be more intentional about spending time with friends outside of my apartment. This has helped me take more fulfilling and fun breaks (compared to scrolling endlessly on my phone). I’ve mostly been exercising or going to dinner with these friends, which makes me step away from my painting and not think about it.
