Under the Big Top

Having my second cuppa coffee this morning and looking over my calendar and to-do lists, and it's suddenly hit me just how far-reaching strategic decisions can be. In this case, not worrying about the gallery or art fair anymore is going to greatly cut back the time I have spent on record-keeping and bookkeeping and filing. Many artists find it hard going to keep track of their own contact lists and records, and I've been doing this not only for myself, but for Steve's design business, for the gallery, for the art fair, and for our general household. I've put as much on the computer as humanly possible, but I'm still drowning in stacks of paper every week which much be sorted, then ditched or filed. There's a mess on the top of my desk even now. Combine this with keeping the house more or less ready to show at a short notice, keeping the garden and the exterior weeded and presentable, and keeping on top of our medical needs and dietary needs, running all the errands and budget shopping, all on top of communication difficulties and frequent days of limited mobility and energy, and no it's wonder I am burned out. I just don't have the space in my head-circus anymore for so many different rings of activity.

All this activity has only been marginally profitable, so the Big Top hasn't been giving enough back to us either in terms of money or good will. So no, the Show doesn't need to Go On, not in that fashion. It's silly. Many good things have come out of it, have laid the foundation for the next phase, but it is time now to work smarter instead of harder, and I just know this is going to pay off.