A Time For Lists
Blowing With The Breeze. Catherine Gorski O’Connor 2022
Summer is upon us. The year is half over and there are many different activities that come with the warmer season. People take vacations, travel to the mountains and beaches. Picnics and other outdoor recreation and sports fill the days and weekends. Some people, like myself, like to garden. I grow vegetables, herbs and flowers. I also have some fruit trees that will hopefully provide me with apples and pears to eat and bake pies and breads to store for the colder months. A good time to prepare as well as enjoy.
This is a time for making lists. This is when I stop and take stock of where I am, where I hope to go and what I would like to achieve by the end of the year. I make a list because if I see what is to be done, I achieve it better than if it is rolling around in my mind. The list is a tangible guide to check off that which I get done.
Right now, I need to do an inventory check to make sure I have enough cards for the holidays, birthdays and other occasions that are upcoming. Printing businesses get very busy towards the holidays filling printing orders that were left to the last minute. I like to be ahead of the rush and not worry about it. Also, the printers appreciate one less crazed artist to deal with.
I have to get back on the stick with my artwork too. Time flies by and the day to day things sometimes stop me from picking up pen or paint brushes. I have a manuscript for a new children’s book that I need to illustrate. I would like to publish it at the start of 2023. I have about 14 illustrations to do in the next 6 months in order to achieve that goal. Believe it or not, that is cutting it close. I also have another book in my mind that I need to put on paper. I have the story line and pictures that will go with it floating around in my brain. I get lazy at night and do not use the quiet time to get things done. So the list is a great way to get me working in some order.
New paintings are needed to freshen and replenish my painting gallery. It is a good way to loosen the creative knots that I sometimes get. I have recently completed 2 new paintings, Happy Valley ( 8” x 10” ) and Blowing With The Breeze ( 11” x 14” ). They are both painted in acrylic on canvas and are easy going and whimsical. They were fun to do.
I also have house cleaning, family visits, correspondences to catch up on and very importantly I must remember to relax and breath! All on my list…I hope you all have a wonderful and safe summer. Enjoy today, the moments you have and the memories you make. Remember to make a list, even if it is just to take to the grocery store! Enjoy!