Saturday 11 July 2015

Summer rhythms, etc.

You may have noticed that I've been a bit quiet here. November marks the fifth anniversary of this blog and this year I decided to slow down my summer blogging and actually take some time off. It's my first "break" in nearly five years. I'll write the occasional post, but not three days per week as is my custom.

On another note, I'm learning a new photo editing program (a basic program that came with my scanner) because my Adobe Creative Suite locked me out after nine years of use. It's a legal copy that I paid for, but Adobe wants me to keep spending money. It's caused me rethink how I make my work. Once I find a tool and learn how to use it well, I don't necessarily want to keep having to relearn computer programs. It slows me down and cuts into my efficiency and happiness. Also, I've read that each new iteration of Photoshop and Illustrator is not necessarily better and many folks are unhappy with being forced to use the Creative Cloud. New is not better. Such is life.

My hubby is taking a chunk of time off this summer and we are taming our wild garden. Last week I built 90% of a stone wall and it looks fantastic. Garden work with my hubby means less studio time and solitude, which means less focus. One of my artist friends once commented on summer rhythms as "seasons of work" and this is comforting. Canadian summers are generally only two months long, so I'll mark them with picnics, gardening, sky gazing, and visits on the back patio with friends. In mid-September I'll be back to a regular studio and blogging practice. I haven't yet decided what this blog will look like after the five year mark. Time will tell.

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