Saturday 20 December 2014

Nearly there...

I have been reminded of my blog by an old friend from around 20 years ago, who in a Christmas card said she checks out the blog every so often. So here for you, Dawn, is a little, much belated update. God it's been busy. Horrendous - yes. Fulfilling - yes. Exhilarating- yes. Exhausting - yes. Nearly at the end of it all now and it's been a roller coaster. I started a post about 5 weeks ago but it was so out of date after 2 weeks that I got rid of it before it ever came to light. So let's hope I can complete this one before it gets out of date too...

What can I tell you about? There's been quite a bit going on.

1) PTA, Christmas Fair. Yes, I am definitely never doing that again. Properly resigned this time. Some people might not believe it but it's true. It's a lovely warm feeling to have raised so much money and to have given so many people a great time, but, oh, the mental anguish! I really should shut up because the more I moan, the less chance there ever will be of anyone taking over from me, but it is so exhausting, swimming against the tide for so long. I could go on but choose to turn to the future instead.

2) A pop up gallery, in Clevedon, for 5 weeks. This has been the best thing to happen to me for ages. It was a North Somerset Arts venture, and 25 of us paid a little up front to put our art on sale, and some of us volunteered to man it for a few hours each week. For one thing, it was lovely to meet the people who came to see it, and hear the wonderful positive things they had to say about it. For another, to meet some other artists and befriend them, what fabulous people. Every day a little something to bring home: a hint or a tip, a name of another artist to look up, a little bit of wisdom, and even one day a nudge to go and see a gallery in the new year as the owner was keen on my work. For another, the enforced tranquillity of having to stay in a peaceful gallery for 4 hours instead of rushing round flapping about Christmas shopping. And for a final boost, selling 10 pictures there and over 40 cards. It's been a struggle as everything else in my life has had to squeeze into a much smaller slice of time, but it has been worth every minute.

3) Gosh isn't the whole Christmas thing exhausting? The season of goodwill is coming to me late this year after having to squeeze all the work into less time after the above two items. I squeezed it so much that the true spirit of Christmas has been distilled into a rather nasty concoction of materialistic gift obsession. I spent way too long chirping myself up with the research into what I fancied for myself (some beautiful new lenses for my camera) and was left with just a few days of trudging from shop to shop to shop and then back to the first one in desperation, in an attempt to make Christmas perfect for the three biggest people in my life. And if I'm honest my children are being hateful in a horrible attention-seeking way because I haven't had the strength to give them much time when they've got home from school. Time to slow down for all of us, what a relief.

4) Sad to have finished my photography course; I've adored getting my brain to think in a rectangular beautifully composed way for a few hours every Thursday. I've been given the chance to really grow something very exciting by the lovely Graham of Shutterbugs Photographic Experiences and the bud will only grow bigger and better with time. Here are some of my highlights of the last few weeks...









Merry Christmas, and may the New Year bring everything to balance our lives perfectly and make us better, happier, more comfortable people. Here's to some creative juices being given a chance to flow...