{Gone Fishin'}

Did summer even happen? That's what I've been asking myself all week as I realize we are suddenly in August and I'm already planning for the new year at work. Admittedly, summer is not my favorite, typically. But the older I get, the more I appreciate the warm days and the long nights. Even though I like to be in bed by 9 (Living the rockstar life, duh).

Though things have been a bit of a blur, in other ways things seem to be dragging.... like my horrible mood. I just can shake the case of the crankies that has plagued me all year. I can't tell if it's because work is taking over my life, I'm not socializing enough, or if this is just who I am now. I've noticed a small improvement within the last couple of weeks, but then of course I got slammed with a terrible summer cold that doesn't want to leave and I'm exhausted all of the time. Just in time for two art shows and a community theater event this weekend. *sigh*

So...let's talk about those events instead of my bad mood, shall we? ArtBar is back for another season. Tomorrow is "Why Am I Like This:" a self-portrait theme. I had over two months to knock this one out of the park, but if you refer to the previous paragraph, I was in NO MOOD. Thank goodness for deadlines otherwise I never would have started this thing. On Tuesday, I spent the majority of the day in my studio trying to come up with something. I've never been one for self-portraits, and that has not changed over the course of this week. I do, however, enjoy what I came up with.

I also last minute decided to take part in another Art Show downtown. This one opens on Friday but will be up all month long. I don't know if I will continue to show work at this place since they take a hefty cut and require a theme, but...I am happy to at least give it a try! I decided to show something I finished for my solo show back in May. It's technically not a "summer" painting, but I finished it this year and that's a victory for me.

I don't have many more updates, but I do want to briefly talk about Etsy. It's been a very slow start since opening it back up in March. I decided to set up a summer sale back in July---50% off all art prints. During that time, I did make two sales and it was really exciting! I never expect to have any major success with this shop, but the occasional sale really does boost my motivation. My goal is to do a major decluttering of my products and have a shop update September 1st. Having a specific date is so important for me to stay on task. If I'm able to launch a bunch of new products, then it might inspire me to do some holiday markets. I'm definitely feeling the spark when it comes to making things again. I just need to harness this feeling and make it consistent.

Anyway, that's all I really have for now. I'm eager to drop off my two art pieces tonight after work and then sit back and enjoy the quiet tonight. I will be socializing ALL weekend, so I need to make sure I find an evening to relax. I'm not the extrovert I once was!

Thank you for being here and I will be back soon to talk about the Etsy product launch! Stay tuned. <3