Tag: art is hard

feh-bruary

I was feeling pretty great about my lack of feh-ness over winter thus far, but it hit me kinda hard on Saturday. I’m pretty darn tired.

My painful shoulder issue from December turned out to be frozen shoulder, which means I am in physical therapy several times a week to stretch and strengthen the joint and surrounding muscles, and lots of at-home exercises to do the same. Supposedly this affliction is most common in women over 40; having just turned 37, I guess you could say I’m mature for my age. 😐 I’m spending a lot more time in my car; to and fro for appointments, picking up kids, working in the gaps, eating on the go–all at a time when I’d rather be hibernating.

I’m also feeling a lot of frustration around my art. Making things doesn’t come easy right now, and most of what I make, I’m unsatisfied with. I’m trying to go easy on myself by taking time to play with my iPad every day, even if everything I make sucks.

But hey, it’s not all doom and gloom! My shoulder is healing fast; I’ve regained most of my range of motion, and it’s no longer a constant ache when I try to sleep. All that car travel means I have plenty of time to listen to audiobooks — I finished the first book in the Outlander series, a horror novel called The Winter People, and now I’m working on Annihilation. Next week the kids are off school for a l’il winter break, and the week after that, I’m traveling to Amsterdam to meet up with my team. By that point, it will be March; one month closer to spring!

she shells she shells

Thinking summer thoughts! We have a busy few weeks ahead; I have a couple blocks of vacation time in July and August, the kids have camps, and there are road trips semi-planned.

I am plodding my way through art-making and working a lot in Procreate, because it’s relatively low effort, and I am tired. My iron levels have not improved from where they landed after the infusions, so I’m still anemic. Work + regular exercise + time with family + the occasional household chore is about all I have the energy for before I crash on the couch for the day, so doodling on my phone is a solid compromise. Although Tim just got a new iPad with an Apple Pencil, and I might have a little bit of tech envy…just think of the lettering possibilities!