Thoughts on stress and creation

I got back from a big trip this week.  It was supposed to be bigger as I was traveling a large circle from home to Arizona up to Montana and back west to home.  It ended up being to Arizona and back as both shows were canceled.  A lot of my shows are being canceled this year, a lot of shows for everybody.  Concerts, Rv and boating shows, casinos are closed and resturants are no longer serving in dining areas.  As my Uncle and I drove home from Arizona, I was always worried that we would find hotels shuttered and no longer able to shelter us.  Highways in cities were easy to drive through, Las Vegas was almost a ghost town and you could walk in and order from fast food places but you then had to leave.  We are facing a time of uncertainty and we are all concerned about the economic effects of us fighting off this viral invation.  In times of great stress, it is hard to be creative.

I was driving a van full of art home, the effort packed in the vehicle was huge and tangeble.  When people walk into a display and ask, "Did you do all of these?" we as artists are sometimes struck silly by the question.  We need to consider that most people don't paint 20 works of art that make up minimum display in a life time let alone in a year.  I did 145 in 2019, that is over 2 a week on average.  For this year I have only done 12, only one a week.  Some of that is because of travel time but a lot of it is because of stress.

When I told a friend of mine about it she reminded me of Brother Bear's lesson; hibernate, take a break to recharge.  Karee is right, now is a time out of place.  This time right now is like no other.  Our reactions have no set course;like families in war time or the spanish flu, we are in uncharted territory.  What rules do we follow? About each other?  Social distance, how we treat ourselves?  My neighbors are being kind to each other.  We talk over the fence and if one is going shopping for essentials, they ask the others what them might need.  I am currently fighting a war with the neighborhood cats and my dogs for garden territory.  The cats dig small holes to make deposits, the dogs make huge holes to dig them up and I have to replant.  I am warmed by the sun and enjoying the flowers that are coming up.

The one constant to cling to is this, time and events transition like the seasons.  This event will pass and we will have another year to grow and recover.  I will create again, probably next week.  In the meantime, talk to each other over the phone, internet and fence.  Interact, let each other know that we are still there and we are thinking about others.  Be well