Artist Self Care

Mondays and Fridays are the days when I like to go to my studio and make art and that was my original plan for today, a Friday, after I finished doing chores around the house. But as the morning went on and house cleaning turned into prepping food for tonight’s dinner all while listening to podcasts, I realized that I didn’t want to go to my studio this afternoon. I’m in the middle of reading two biographies about two artists, Ruth Asawa and Wendy Carlos, well-known for art and music respectively. They are both fascinating books and staying home this afternoon to read sounded like a really nice idea. As soon as I had this thought I asked myself, “Am I allowed to do that?” I mean, Fridays are when I go to my studio and make art. That’s what I’m supposed to do today. I can’t just blow that off, right? I kept feeling that way for many moments until it occurred to me, of course, I can do that if I want to. Learning about artists who inspire me is just as important to my creative practice as actual art making. If this is what I need to do right now, I should do it. I don’t need permission to change my plans. So that is what I’m going to do this afternoon. Right after I finish writing this.

Here are some images of work I’ve done recently for fun. I haven’t been overly prolific - sometimes I seem to work at a glacial pace - but I have felt pretty inspired despite the crappiness of 2020.