I Did It!

In spite of domestic projects and an installation artist who needed way more time than I expected to set up his show (about 30 hours over three days/evenings), and the precision grid hanging for another artist that I did myself, and of course the loss of a setup day because of Thanksgiving, the show was set up with time to spare and we actually enjoyed ourselves at the reception.

I had 16,000 words to go with four days left in the NaNoWriMo event, but I knew that with a clear schedule, I could easily average 4,000 words per day. But a little something happened during the set up for the show which had a tremendous impact on not only the gallery, but the writing, our relationship, and just about everything you can think of--

There is nothing like confronting your own physical limitations to force realistic parameters in your life and work. During the hanging of the show, I was in a great mood, had a reasonable amount of energy and focus, but my knees, feet, and hands and neck were hurting worse and worse. This was to be expected after something like the giant hedge project, but handling several flights of stairs and carrying boxes and artwork of varying weight and awkwardness was doing the same thing, and had done so for the last several shows. I was ready to throw in the towel on the gallery altogether. We do not make much money on it unless we sell our own art, and the expenses of a show are considerable, not to mention the time factor and the physical work. My husband's office is in the upper level of the gallery, and the disruptions every month were becoming more and more frustrating.

I proposed that instead of doing six, or even four shows next year, we only do two. That we needn't give up the gallery, everyone knows we are here and knows to make an appointment or at least call first. We have a good relationship with the local press and an extensive emailing list. Steve could take over the entire upper level for his office, and we would do the two shows together, so that he had more control over when and how his space would be disrupted. I would be relieved of at least half the physical work, and also not be disrupted so often in my own art work (during the setup for shows, everything gets thrown into my office and studio and storage room, and it takes me days to sort it out afterwards). He was very enthusiastic. We were both so enthusiastic about this meeting of minds that it was like a big cloud over our heads finally passed by.

After the reception I felt completely liberated, so much so that I wrote 7,000 words on Sunday, and over 9,000 words on Monday, and enjoyed every minute of it. I "won" the Novel Writing contest and am now in possession of the first draft of a short novel about a middle-aged woman's experiences in becoming a professional artist. It is part "literary" novel and part science fiction/fantasy. I'm going to let it sit for a few days before reading it from beginning to end and deciding if there is anything in it worth salvaging and rewriting.

The experience was totally worth it, as I gained a lot of confidence and a lot of insight and in some ways reconnected, in a more mature fashion, with the creative energy I had in college. I've even figured out why I have to be an artist, no small feat.

They Warn You About This

Still haven't cleared the 34,000 mark, and the NaNoWriMo gurus warn you about the treacherous 20 thousands, where many writers get bogged down and distracted. They say it gets easier after that, just slog through and you'll be okay.

The biggest distraction was an unplanned-for domestic project. Steve is allergic to certain aromatic oils, such as found in some candles. It became evident there was something in our immediate environment which was having the same effect. He tracked it down to my prize boxwood hedge in the front courtyard. When I first planted the hedge, the site was fairly shady and remained shady until early this summer. We had a large tree removed and our neighbor had several removed. The site is now full sun--and the sunlight sets off the oils in the boxwood. It's not a nice smell, either, and many people have often remarked that it smells like cat urine. There is a similar boxwood and sunny site at our doctor's office and Steve reacted the same way to that area, too. So it had to go.

It was a huge project which not only involved the physical removal of dozens of mature shrubs, but of shopping for, hauling, and planting of 40+ new privet shrubs, each averaging 5' tall. I got them for half price, and also got great deals on topsoil and mulch. It took about 3 solid days of work. There are still some details to take care of, such as replacing & expanding the irrigation system in the vincinity of the new privet hedge, but a bitter cold front came in and that will have to wait for a few days. Needless to say I was far too exhausted to do any art or writing or even housework.

I've been playing catch-up this week, getting the gallery website updated, the press releases out for the next show, the postcards stamped and mailed, the garden club website updated, a dozen batches of laundry done, taking in art for the new show and moving out art from the old show and this weekend will be spent hanging the next show. Somehow I have also been writing for the novel project, did over 3,500 words yesterday and will try for 5,000 today.

The best thing about the novel project is that in the course of writing about art and the process of art, I've done what amounts to an analysis of my own art up to the present day, and it's been quite revealing. I will write more about this in a future post, after I am able to articulate it more concisely. The novel writing project does reward quantity over quality, so it would not pay to quote it here!

Almost One Week Down

Word count as of today: 14,128. Today was the best day yet, because the narrative is starting to flow rather than coming in fits and starts. The more I write, the easier it gets. I've experienced the same phenomenon with painting. The first rule is to trust the process, not worrying about the result as much as the doing. After a while things will fall into place on their own. Or at least they can.

In real-time application there is a physical & mental impact, and so far it is positive. The act of doing so much creative writing so intensely and on schedule is waking up parts of my brain that have been idle for years and years. It's like coming out of a fog. I find myself remembering things better and staying on top of both the gallery and domestic matters.

It is unclear to me at this point if I am on a high from this project or if it is simply a reawakening. If it is just a high, it might pose the problem of crashing emotionally at the end of it. I am hoping, however, that the discipline of this project carries over to studio work. Now that the pace of the writing is going more quickly, and that I have determined that my best writing times are in the afternoon, I'm going to attempt studio work in the morning hours, and to keep to that schedule if it seems to work.

I do not plan to do this seven days a week. There are days I will not be able to write or paint at all, for gallery or social obligations, or for taking care of house repairs or doctor appointments. The goal of 3,000 words per day will be sufficient to achieve the 17,000 words per week needed to clear 50,000 words in three weeks, all figures approximate. Building in fail-safes takes a lot of the pressure off.

So Far So Good

It's almost the end of the second day of the new project. So far I've written 4,000 words, and am likely to hit 5,000 before the night is over. That would make 10% of the NaNoWriMo goal. I'm writing it like I would do an assemblage, starting out with the central notion that the most important part of creativity is actually producing something, regardless of refinement. The refinement can come later, and it's a process which gets better with practice. It's hard to refine nothing, however.

The novel is now showing those eerie signs of interconnectivity that build up in my assemblages as I work on them. The various sections start to tie themselves together in ways I cannot imagine when I begin to write them. The serendipitous moments of recognition of the relationship of one section to another is like witnessing magic. It keeps me going, in anticipation of what might happen next.

The Game's Afoot!

Okay, okay, it's an overused phrase, but I love Sherlock Holmes, and it's my blog, so I'll use it if I want to.

I've started the novel-writing portion of the next project, and wrote over 1,000 words in about two hours. The words actually bear some relationship with one another, which is amazing. The working title is "ampersand." My goal is around 3,000 words per writing day, figuring I've got 20 good writing days this month, allowing for the next gallery opening and Thanksgiving, and whatever other time-consuming obligations that will inevitably crop up.

The office cleanup was wrapped up yesterday, and it is so empowering to be able to get my hands on things I'm looking for, and to have a system of controlling paperwork and the various elements of business and household which is easily maintained.

Steve and I talked about our workloads, and we agreed that the second job he has been holding down may actually be holding him back from his main work, which is website development. My gut feeling is that he should focus on his main work, which is not only what he wants to do, but it will pay off in the long run and give us more time for each other in the short run. We've got this precious one moment in time where we can both be happy campers.

The weather is incredibly beautiful, a very late Indian Summer. I plan to take advantage of it to make an assemblage as part of The November Project. Thus, I'm off to the shed to look for various bits with potential....