I have been focusing a great deal on my art right now. Mostly because I can’t actually focus on much of anything. And I can just zone in on drawing.
Long-COVID and my Work-In-Progress Novels
I have two novels I am really into at the moment. I am completely inspired to write them. I have great characters, plots and world-building with both. They both have some awesome potential.
Unfortunately, I have very little actual energy to achieve anything right now. I am extremely tired most of the day. I am talking about massive fatigue and exhaustion. I can and will fall asleep doing things. And have a really hard time when I leave the house staying awake when I go do something out and about. I am sort of worried I will actually fall asleep somewhere randomly.
I can’t stay awake long enough to focus on much of anything during the day or evening. Hell, in the evening I can’t do anything at all but fight falling asleep. So there is only a small window of the day I can Push through and do things. And then nap. And maybe try doing some housekeeping. Nap.
Writing requires a lot more focus and concentration than I am capable of at the moment. Which really sucks.
I am in the process of getting my follow-up blood-work done. And then maybe I will have to do the follow-up tests my doctor recommended. Maybe they can figure out what is causing this intense fatigue. I assume, partly, it is my existing chronic illness and it is then compounded by whatever COVID did. Like I needed that. Anyway, I do hope it gets better and it might just be that with chronic illnesses it just will take a lot of time to recover.
The flow of art
So at least I still have art as a distraction and something to focus on so that I don’t go utterly insane.
So I have been exploring that quite a bit and my creative process and flow has been pouring into that.
I participated in the Mental Health Awareness exhibit here locally ‘Art of Mental Health’ that completes on the 30th. I just found out it is continuing in another town nearby who also wants to show the exhibit for an additional three months. So that is cool.
I went to the Mental Health Awareness art workshop they were offering as part of mental health awareness month. I had a bit of a hard time with that one in the sense I was getting extremely tired and it was hard to focus near the end there. But I made it through. And I got to use acrylics for the first time. Made a real mess doing it too. But I think I have a feel for that medium, by the end anyway. One day I may give that a go too.
I am going to put some art up for sale in a pop-up event the Art Club is promoting at our fair in June. Which is a big deal for me. It intimidates me to put my work out there like that. But it is also exciting. I just want to give it a go. I want to get a feel for how people respond to my work before I try for the larger events like the ‘art walk’ where you have a booth- because you pay for that and I wouldn’t want to pay for something unless I thought there may be some sort of return.
Anyway, that is requiring some thought and planning on my part. Since it is just a pop-up event for two days with, I think, limited space. I was thinking mostly small prints and a few larger prints. No originals. And two framed prints I have the idea for where they will be in a floating frame so that I can add a written piece on the back. I want to choose a variety for this. So different styles and types of things I have done. Just to test out what works and what doesn’t. I don’t really have much expendable money to spend on making prints so I will have to be very selective and not make many of each (just a couple? I have to price them out locally and see)- but I don’t really anticipate that many sales. It is sort of a test run for me.
I want to do all this because I want to be part of the local art scene and meet local artists. I want to get involved with the Art Club and participate in events. We don”t have a writer’s guild here or even a writers group. Or any sort of group on any sort of thing I could get involved in to meet people that are into things I am. This is one way to socialize and get involved with a community of people that do have the same interest as me. At this particular moment everything is pretty difficult for me to do and even that pop-up is going to be extremely hard for me to manage but this is setting up a foundation for future interactions. I am dipping my toes in bit by bit. All of which is way out of my comfort zone but I think it is important to get out of that once and a while- see what is out there.
See other posts
Mental Health Art exhibit
The Art of Mental Health Exhibit
Lingering COVID
The Wyrd 