Soul Care

I've been ill quite a bit lately, and though I know why, I don't know why I allow myself to do this...you know, overbook myself and allow myself to be drawn in too many directions at once.  I know that my body and soul need rest and lots of creative time.  So, Monday I allowed myself a day of rest and nourishment...which included lots and lots of sleep...and Tuesday I spent most of my waking hours hours in my studio and I feel absolutely refreshed.  I began preparing a couple of new canvases over the weekend and it was good to get back to work.

I know what I need, I know what I love and yet I allow the demands of the outside world to dictate my schedule far too often.  Though the meetings I attended were really wonderful, and what I feel is being accomplished is phenomenal, I have to remember to give myself plenty of creative time.  To me, that means spending hours painting, sketching, looking, reading, drinking a lot of green tea, and doing it all over again and again.  A good combination of physical work as I tend to stand at my easel or work on the floor interspersed with fresh, hot tea and a cozy seat on my daybed in the studio to look at the work in progress, asking myself questions...Is the composition working?  Is there enough contrast?  Are the colours working well together?  Is the image comfortable to my eye or does it need tweaking?  Do I need to let go of something I really love in order to allow something better? 

I'm already excited for today.