Running is like Art

Last night, before I posted anything, I fell asleep-on the couch-with my kindle in my lap. I guess it was just too much yesterday. Busy at work - then making homemade tomato soup from our garden tomatoes - and a 4 mile run - and then relaxing. I did get a run in today too - 10K Vasa Trail Loop. Beautiful, saw those two white tailed deer again - within a quarter mile of where they were last time. Majestic creatures - makes no sense to me why anyone would shoot them.

I'm planning a weekend of 'making'. For real this time. I'm gathering materials and prepping for it. I do have a 7-miler - the Harvest Stompede - early on Saturday - I have to be there by 7:30 for packet pick up. After that - I'll probably buy myself some breakfast - or come home and take a shower and then go get breakfast and bring along my sketchbook.

This is how I'm going to jump start my making it. I'm going to spend all the feasible minutes of my weekend making things and working through processes. I have to do it! Here's my list:

• Acrylic Gel Lifts Testing - Finally getting the paper off them, layering them with color and applying them to the gesso boards.
• Water drop Background - Complete it!
• Photo Backdrop & Stand - Buy bolts & sew backdrop pole pockets and hems.
• Grey Wrap Skirt - Make pattern & make skirt - need to do this while it is still warm enough to wear!
• Work Through Woman Piece - Look at symbolism and concepts for the main portrait part of the piece and figure out how to shoot it and photoshop it.
• Work on Red Coat - If I have time.

This does not include the mandatory reading (book club meeting in a week and I haven't started the book) or any knitting - my mental list of yarn projects is mounting and I and barely half done with one sleeve of the sweater I'm making myself.

I also need more nature. Maybe a photo shoot.

FOCUS. If I can make myself run 6 miles when I'm really not feeling it, I can make myself make some art! I think it's really that same concept. I've always been an individual sport kind of girl. Never enjoyed working on group projects. Love being in my own space alone doing what I want. Running is like that. But sometimes you have to push yourself to do it. I don't run in the morning - first of all because I can't ever get out of bed early enough to do it and still make it to work without being more than my typical variety of late - but mostly because it makes me sick, it makes me feel like throwing up and gives me a headache. I use running as a de-stress-ifying end of my day thing. To be completed before dinner, but after work. It keeps me sane and on an even keel. I have been running for almost 2 years now. I love it and would never go back to a couch-potato lifestyle. Running is how I relax. I find that some of my best runs - or best results from a run - are from those that I force myself to do.

I think that is when I do my best artwork too. When I am absolutely forced to be creative. Like for every single one of my projects in college. I'm the Queen of Procrastination - dubbed that by my parents during high school due to my lack of preplanning and preparation and basic "I better get started on this ahead of time because it's a huge project worth half my grade" train of thought. But those projects always got me A's. When it was down to the wire, glue is not dry but I'm turning it in, putting the last coat of protective spray on it even though I'll be tardy for class but it's due right now, pulling the pins out of it and trimming threads as I walked to class, those were the times that I did my best work. I need that. I need the pressure. I need to force myself to get into a routine and 'train' for creativity and set deadlines and a schedule. Just like I do for running a race. I must. That is what this weekend is about! Begin where you are.