Life in the new reality

It’s been more than 5 months since we began this Pandemic Journey, and it doesn’t look like we are anywhere near the end.

How are you faring? Are you anxious for a return to “normal”, or are you beginning to rethink your life going forward?

I did OK at first, thinking this would all be over in a few weeks. I painted backdrops for Rich’s booth—then his markets closed. I am continuing to write my memoirs, Patchwork House, with the encouragement of a few writing friends. I started a new children’s picture book inspired by memories of playing mermaid with my grand daughter.

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Then my natural inclination to hermit took over. I only went out to shop for groceries or care for my mom. I spent hours on Instagram, or trying to figure out what the H*** is going on in this country by checking the news feed on my phone, checking the credibility of news sources, checking sources.

My creative life slowed down.

It feels like I’ve been treading water until the world returns to “normal”--whatever that is. Now I’m never quite sure what stage we are in, what is safe to do now.

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I can’t continue to wait for normal. It’s time to figure out how to live in this new reality. I need to see and talk to my friends in person. I need to see and hug my grandchildren. I need to create, and to somehow offer my creations to my community. And I still need to be careful because the dread disease is still out there.

With no Art Tours, no First Fridays, and no big gatherings allowed in the places I have my work, how DO I invite my community to see my work? I have some ideas and would like your input.

1. I have a show scheduled for November in Anu Rana’s Kitchen. If we are still unable to have First Friday showings, would you like to join me for tea during the month my show is up? I’m thinking maybe one or two people at a time would be safe. Then you could see my work and we could visit.

2. What if I had an all day studio opening and invited people to come the first Saturdays of the month? By scheduling time slots for visitors, I could keep the “crowd” down to no more than 2-3 visitors at a time. Is this something you would be interested in once in a while?

Do you have any other ideas? How would you like to be a part of my creative process?

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