Everything in its right place.

My Daddy's ok, I'm going home this weekend, and I made some art today. All is right with the world.

So far, the things I'm trying to finish before Oranje are:

*Series of altars w/ various personal themes, including one about Dad's accident
*Massive cluster of windchimes/mobiles - the idea is to make as many as I possibly can and string them from pvc to hang above my booth. Nich may screen print some ceramic decals for me so I can make multiples of everything.
*Ceramic belljar/cake stand/thing - so far, I have not decided whether I'd like this to be functional or not. I like the idea of building something on the inside for when you lift the lid. This is not fleshed out yet - I just started throwing it today, so maybe I shouldn't be talking about it yet!
*Lots and lots of cups - tumblers and mugs. I'd like to make as many as possible, and use them as blank canvases for my whims, drawing and painting exercises, portraits of people I know, and items around the house such as Nich's odd collection of assorted knickknacks. Some carved, some just painted, maybe some just glazed (though I doubt it - I can't just throw something and throw a glaze on it. It's the painter in me, I suppose).
*At least one giant bowl - 20lbs of clay if possible. I just want to throw something big. And paint and carve the hell out of it.

I also started carving a lino block today of a pug to make some stickers and cards as free give-a-ways to raise money for KPR, because it's something I've been wanting to do. I've missed doing linocuts - for some reason, spending hours cutting into a block to get the right shades of light and dark with little marks and lines is like a puzzle to me - my brain seems to love it just as a task. I think I may do some new blocks to use as decals, as I really like the way my block prints look as decals. The nice, heavy blacks and clear cut light and dark areas make for lovely iron oxide decals, and I like them better than the ones made from simple line drawings. I also really like being able to use an image over and over in different mediums - on ceramics, on stickers, on heavy paper, on clothing, or whatever else I think of.

I read an interview with a fellow Etsy seller who had to begin budgeting her time each day in order to stay focused and organized, and to keep up with both kids and her new booming business. I thought, man, I'm terrible at making task lists for myself and budgeting my time. If I really want to get some stuff accomplished, especially in time for Oranje and the Rocky Ripple art fair, I better get cracking and start getting motivated. So, I woke up this morning, allotted myself 15 minutes to take care of pets when I woke up, an hour for light cleaning, an hour to have some breakfast and coffee, and then I split the next 6 hours or so between carving that block and throwing on the wheel, with frequent but very short breaks throughout. It was a pretty productive day, and I feel good. I'm going to try to do this for myself each day and stick to the plan. I have to start treating my time at home like a real job if I'm ever going to get better and make art I'm happy with, not to mention make a living. Hopefully if I can push myself to just keep making things, it will begin to feel less like a chore and more like the best part of my day.

Thanks to any of you who have been reading and keeping me and my family in your thoughts, and for all your comments and encouragement. Pics of new stuff soon!