These past couple of months have been languid and long. I mean long in a good way, in a slow, dreamy, delicious kind of way. As the cold days of winter lengthened and warmed into Spring, I felt like I was drifting through time.
So, things in the studio have been rather slow too. I have felt unhurried. I took my foot off the accelerator and just idled through the days. As summer approaches I feel less inclined to make as much and more pulled towards the garden and outdoors. And, I've been reading more than I have in years - proper novels and biographies, and it's so beautiful. I forgot how wonderful reading is. I suppose that this is the way things should be in the subtropics. The warmth is really not all that conducive to overzealous productivity and making. It really wants you to be in the pool or lazing on the deck with a good book.
However, in saying that, I have participated in Inktober, which requires drafting a drawing in response to a set of prompts, every day of the month of October. I have kept my drawings small and allocated an hour every day to conceive of and draft each image. Now I find myself at day 26 and the finish line is so close! The prompts have been a good way for me to stretch my brain and respond to a brief in a short amount of time.
I have also been continuing to play with clay and make ceramic pieces. It has dawned on me that this craft will take a long time to gestate and grow into something that feels aligned with my other creative tendencies. I feel as though I'm kind of bobbing around with clay - still discovering things and experimenting with every new vessel or sculpture I choose to make. I have to keep reminding myself to take it easy and enjoy it. It can be difficult to curb my frustrations with clay, but like my yoga practice, I see that this is a long road kinda gig, a day by day, step by step, incremental growth learning that will develop over time. The trick is always to remain present and find the value in each moment. I think that ceramics is a very good teacher in that way because it really demands quite a bit of attentiveness, or at least I feel it requires more than painting or drawing. I so easily lose myself in the flow of watercolour painting, especially.
Anyhoot, that is how things are here and now. I imagine that as the year's end rolls around life will become busier and my long, slow days will dissipate. I hope not though, because I like life to be languid and relaxed. I am not the kind of person who responds well to pressure or stress. I need spaciousness in order to give the best of myself. So, we'll see what the future brings, but I'm hoping that this sense of ease continues into summer and beyond.