A Forced Retreat

Its a chilly fall morning and instead of heading out to my studio, like I normally do on Monday mornings, I am snuggled up next to the stove with a cappuccino trying to get my head straight and come up with a game plan. I just got home from the chiropractor who Ive been seeing daily for three weeks now, due to a shoulder injury that has gotten intensely painful over the last month. I'm actually not in tons of pain today, but have been lately, and I need to be mindful about recovery. I am told not to do any forward motion with my right arm which pretty much eliminates everything, especially painting. I shouldn't even be typing right now. . It's SO FRUSTRATING to be out of commission, especially when I have so many projects and commissions that I've been working on.   

But instead of feeling sorry for myself, instead I think I'll try to use this time to do some of the other things that occupy my mind late at night before the melatonin kicks in. things like figuring out how to get this website out into the public. Things like watching Utube videos about painting. Things like learning how to use my new computer and the new processing software that I bought to make prints with, Things like getting prints to all of the cool places that will be selling them. Things like documenting the artistic process, and also communicating with all of my loyal customers. There is one thing though, that excites me about a break from painting. and that's DRAWING.  I can still draw, as long as I have a solid place to rest my arm. I think that a forced retreat into drawing is really a blessing in disguise since I know that drawing is the best way to improve as an artist. I have so much to learn as a self-taught artist, and I am looking forward to see what this next season has to offer.