here I am in the lovely brown waters of the swimmin' hole, soaking up all that earthy inspiration.
and here I am spraying some drawings outside of the house. What a beautiful building.
some of the things I was working on.
from the top of a small mountain near where I was staying. the top is just covered in these long grasses with no trees around, so you can see the surrounding mountains from 360 degrees.
my work space and some of the photo transfers I started.
It is strange that while I was staying there I felt like I wasn't doing nearly enough. I spent the week enjoying the scenery and lovely things that only an area like that has to offer, making work, and beating myself up about not making more work. But it was only a week. So I am overall satisfied with my first residency experience.
Today is the 4th of July. I went to the swimmin' hole (a 5 foot area that is deep enough to jump off some rocks into, in a river) with the locals. I am making work and enjoying all of the little things around me, like the lunch Camille brought me in the middle of the day for no reason, or the sound of cars driving down dirt roads. I will miss being able to swim in the river after working, or to sit on the rocks with homemade wine in a mason jar. simple things.
I will do a big work post at the end of my time here, but I really want to focus for a moment on how inspiring just being here is.
I finished reading no one belongs here more than you. It was perfect, I recommend that you read it. And if you don't like it, please tell someone else "I really hated this book that Amy recommended" and then maybe they will ask you about it, and then they will think "I will just have to read it for myself to have any real opinion about it" and then they will read it and so on... that way at least we are all reading.
Halfway point. Pushing myself to write more, to try new things. While Felicia is in Asheville today, I told her to pick me up some supplies. That has been the most difficult thing, the nearest supplies are an hour away. I'm making the best of it though. This feels like a letter home from camp.
I am having such a great time, I hope all of my friends apply for residencies. You're going to love it.
Most nights these past weeks have been spent in the gallery filming with Ethan. Quick 5 minute drawing that is a result of down time and the time it takes for him to change the film in the camera. It feels good to be making things. Also came up with some ideas for next week while I am at Azule. I will try to post often as I always enjoyed using this as a project and "in progress" blog as opposed to finalized ideas and works.
HAVING A GOOD TIME, HAVING A GOOD TIME.
So much time passes between updates. Sometimes I wonder what I am doing at all. All of the things that I have to do everyday feel so unimportant sometimes compared to what I need to do to be okay. My job, my apartment, my entire life full of appointments and bill payments... I thought I was working toward getting more time to create. Instead I find myself stretched too thin, any creative energy I have is sucked out of me on problem solving at work. I come home uninspired and mad at myself.
Lately I have been taking pictures. I am constantly doing this. It has been almost a year now where I document my life almost obsessively. And it isn't anything important, it just is. When I feel like I'm losing time and I can't slow down and take in my environment, I find myself documenting it. You are here. You moved this over here. Now you are doing this. It is something to be doing.
Expect real updates in the future. I am trying, really I am.
