My Box

Lettering #2 Mosaic
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

My project box that is. Through all of the not part of reality silliness in The Creative Habit I found a few gems. I finished it on my Kindle iPhone app the other day and am putting what I learned to use.

1) Start a morning ritual to get myself going in the right direction. My first thought and attempt was for this to be making green smoothies and then working out doing The Shred. But that was just too much to do every day, especially on days following a rough night with Alex. So it soon got whittled down to just the green smoothie part. Much healthier than a cup of coffee and a more long lasting energy, plus it is for the entire family. And Alex needs all the veggies I can get her to eat. Plus we are fasting for the next three weeks and coffee is out.

2) A box for my creative project(s). One box for each one to keep things focused. Right now I am using a shoe box, but when I get the chance I will probably take her advice and get the kind you can buy at Office Depot. In this box goes all the papers I have found that could possibly work for my project. Various papers including plain ones, pre-printed ones, washi and my own woodblock and gocco print scraps. Along with that I have a two tiered pencil case that keeps the small pieces so they don't get lost in the shuffle. And at the top level of that case are the ones I think I will be using. She just suggested a box, but she is a dancer not a visual artist, so I felt the need to expand to suit my needs.

3) I also have an computer based tool that I am trying out as a way to gather and organize various materials. I can save websites and images and put them into folders so they are easy to bring up whenever I need them.

Have I mentioned how much I love the Kindle app yet? Because I do, yet it actually keeps me from getting an actual Kindle rather than making me want one. I'm a minimalist when it comes to what I carry with me and having it in my phone is perfect. Now I read my physical books at home, but I always have something as backup on my phone.

Now along with a novel (The Blind Assassin for you curious types) I am reading another book to boost my productivity. This time it is a book that is practical for all people called Getting Things Done. The latter is on my Kindle app again which makes it handy for a quick read and note taking. I plan on always having one fiction and one non-fiction books going at all times. Funny how just six months ago I could barely find the attention to finish a book in six months and now I am reading books within a week tops.

Just another sign that things are improving.

Onwards and Upwards!

new materials
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com

Since I was so happy with this piece from last week I've decided that it needs to be a series. It just feels right and my energy for it is high and consistent. I haven't had that in ages, instead having short and sudden creative bursts where I make a piece in an hour and then may go as long as a few months before making another in the exact same way. The inspiration then was still real, but different and very fleeting. This feels much more purposeful and planned. Well, because it is more purposeful and planned!

Last week I downloaded The Creative Habit for the Kindle app on my iPhone and am reading it bit by bit daily. It isn't perfect, in fact some of the advice is downright laughable. Such as the one where she suggests to take a week and not talk, at all that entire week. I'm not a nun and I have obligations, as most people do, that require me to be able to communicate in more than just hand gestures and notes. Maybe some of the artists that don't have day to day jobs, or a family that needs them can do this exercise in restraint. But for the vast majority of us it is not only not practical but it is not possible. But overall it is a positive experience to read it and I am better off for it. For starters it has gotten me to rethink my day and try to get on some sort of schedule. Or at the very least get my day started with a bang instead of a groggy hour watching Curious George while downing coffee.

So I have been attempting to change my morning routine by going to bed earlier and waking up earlier and better. The attempt to wake up at 5:30am so I could use that precious time to work out before my daughter woke up did not go so well. I have pretty bad insomnia and when 5:30 came around I would be going on sometimes no more than four hours of sleep. Every time without fail I would turn my alarm off and go back to sleep. But now my husband and I have a schedule that allows me to work out in the morning and make the family a good breakfast and I don't even have to get up before seven on most mornings. Of course with a toddler, staying on a strict schedule is impossible, but for the most part it works. And that book pushed me to make this change.

This has impacted my health and ultimately my creativity. I'm not as tired any more and my head isn't so muddy. I've been working out whatever has been muddling my mind out slowly for the past few months and am really starting to see some results. I've been obsessed with Google Calendar and various scheduling apps for my iPhone, trying to find the perfect mix to keep me on task.

Keep Dreaming

Rapture in the Forest
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

So far so good with 2008. This year is going to be all about pushing myself further creatively. Breaking out of what is comfortable and playing with new materials and techniques. This started for me in December when I started getting into cut washi additions and is growing. I am hoping to play around with monotypes tomorrow but first I have a spur of the moment block to finish carving tonight. It is being difficult because the block is turning out to be all splintery during the clearing and I have to be really careful not to lose control of the blade. Normally shina is super easy to carve but sometimes it has weird spots. Oddly enough I had no problems with the other side. Adding to the problem I will most likely need to sand these areas so splinters don't get into the ink during printing.

I've gotten so into taking frequent process shots that I even made a new Flickr set to document them.

hmm... I have a bit of a problem. A growing and dangerous obsession actually. Babywearing. I loathe strollers. They are a pain to drag onto the T and so in the way, a nightmare in the snow and they just don't feel like me. I'm determined to walk to my doctors appointment on Monday wearing her strollerless (last time I went out I wore her and pushed the diaper bag in the stroller, much easier than having her in it) Early on I realized that I want to avoid using ours as often as possible. But I am no superwoman (at least not when it comes to strength) so I need carriers. The Baby Bjorn didn't last long due to blee's weight. It just isn't a comfortable carrier past 12 pounds. The ring sling I was given was great right after she was born but then she got fussy and didn't want anything to do with it or any other carrier. Plus, I really didn't know what the heck I was doing. The pouch (another handmedown gift) was interesting but the fleece was much too warm for late summer plus she got kind of lost in it. But by two months we were getting into it and now it is something I can't imagine being without I love it so much. But it won't last past winter for sure since what is so great about it now will render it useless when it warms up. Plus I want to be able to wear her on my back so I can get even more done while keeping her close to me. I have a Moby Wrap which I love when I can do a good wrap which is about half the time. But I am lazy and in a hurry most of the time and just stick her in the pouch. Back carry is doable in it but I don't feel skilled enough for that. So now I am trolling around this site trying to figure out what next. I spend way too much time going from site to site and getting more overwhelmed by the minute. I joined a mailing list and tomorrow am meeting up with a local babywearer to try two carriers that I am interested in. At first I scoffed at the women with their 10+ carriers but now I realize that I am quickly turning into one of those women!

This is why I have no money. At least they don't take up tons of space like all the strollers that some people seem to collect.

So, how is your year going?

Not So Lazy Weekend

rearranged print corner
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

First thing this morning I did what I had been thinking about the night before and rearranged my print corner so that the drawers faced out in a better direction. They had been facing toward the press and the top ones would bump up against the paper rack and not open all the way.

But it could be more productive. Like right now instead of being at the computer blogging I could be finishing up cleaning my studio so I can do two things.

a) print, including using my new block which I need to tear paper for, I have none that size.

b) cart the Pack n' Play back into the corner of the studio for some blee watching during work time. That corner I had set up for her prior to the birth didn't last two days post getting her home. The first night we co-slept with her in her co-sleeper in our queen size bed. The second night we said screw this thing is two wide and dragged the pack n play into the bedroom at 2am so she could sleep next to us in the bassinet part and we could actually have some room in the bed. It has been there ever since. Currently she either sleeps in the crib in her nursery (yay) or in the bouncy chair on the floor next to us (bad), but never in the bassinet anymore. It is just getting stuff piled in it instead of being used.





Ok, time to do some sweeping since there are woodchips everywhere. Once she is crawling I am going to have to be very careful about letting her loose in this room. As in not doing it.

fitting it all in

mmmm smells like milk
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Fitting it all in between cuddles. Like this one from yesterday evening.

No new work yet, but still plenty from last week. And I don't have new prints because I have been obsessively sketching and carving out new ideas. I actually have to restrain myself or I will keep starting new block after new block. Sometimes a new one even before I finish an earlier one.

But I will stop myself soon, and possibly print today or tomorrow. I am pretty determined to have new work to show off by Friday. That means made, scanned and uploaded.

Things are pretty good. I was hoping to check out a mother and baby Yoga class down Centre street today at noon, but that is looking unlikely at this point.

1) can't find my yoga pants
2) blee is being uncooperative this morning
3) it looks like it could rain (I walk)
4) I would rather do art stuff

Maybe next week. Of course that is what I kept telling myself with prenatal yoga and I never ended up going. But I was so sick and that kept me from doing a lot of things!

Killing Time

Progress
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Guess I lied when I said that I would be taking a break. What can I say other than that my moods can change on a dime.

Last weekend I finished carving the large block I have been working on for what seems like forever but I was unable to do any printing. Knowing that I need a decent chunk of time to print I knew I wouldn't be able to do anything with it until this weekend. So with my free time I have kept busy by carving small blocks. The more I have to work with the better and these are fun to play with. If they work great, if not no skin off my back. The 4"x4" size is what first got my shop noticed after all. What allowed me to get all these done? A combination of blee sleeping away most of the day and having people over to clean all of the house except for the nursery and my studio. I brought blee in with me and we hung out only venturing out to change her and for food and water while they worked their magic.





Of course at the same time as making these pieces I have also managed to make the mess in my studio that I will need to clean (hopefully today) before I am able to print. Suddenly what a few months ago was the cleanest and most organized room in the place is the biggest mess. But it has been so much worse! Things are still organized outside my desk area.

It is 12:30am and I should be sleeping but after taking a two hour nap after Jon got home I have a bit of energy to burn. But am burned out on carving for the time being. It is funny how even when she is good blee is still quite exhausting.

New Business Ideas

Reproductions
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Hi guys and thanks for all the well wishes I have received. I'm alive and on the road to recovery. But am almost always tired and at least a bit run down. In fact, I bet I will have to stop and start writing this blog entry a number of times before being able to finish it because I always have a million things to do, most of them involving the hippo. At five weeks her sleeping habits are changing and we are adjusting to them and only starting to get the hang of them. I hear her fussing a lot during the day and run to check on her only to find her asleep. I've learned to detect what cries need immediate attention and what ones don't.

Heroes was on TV, saved onto our Tivo and commercial free after we got home from running errands. No matter how Monday goes, and how tired I am at the end, I will not put off watching Heroes until another day. We were up to late watching it, but it was worth it!







With much blood sweat and tears I managed to finish carving that block that I started working on eons ago and I think it turned out great. I finished it on Saturday and as I was going to bed asked myself if I should work on printing it Sunday or do some small blocks over the week and save the printing for next weekend. Giving myself a break since I am still ill. Well blee nixed any plans of doing anything on Sunday. She was a nightmare baby. Neither one of us got a single thing done unless you count Jon eating a burrito and me getting photo mailers for an order.

The simple fact is that it is harder for me to produce less work now and that is likely to remain unchanged for a very long time. I don't have massive amounts of new work coming out anymore, but when I do I think it is top notch and getting better. I think the work from my last printing sessions back in July was some of my best, and it selling out quickly proves that. It is time for me to raise my prices. Just on future work, I will not be going back to my old pieces and raising them. I won't decide my new price structure until I actually print and am looking at the new work.

To counter the price increase I am going to be offering more reproductions in my shop so that more people will be able to collect my work. I will continue to only offer pieces that have not only sold but have sold rather quickly, or were personal favorites. I even have two pieces framed
and hanging in my studio because I missed looking at them when they sold. I like them a lot, but my focus is going to remain on originals.

Oh, Jon and my fifth wedding anniversary is tomorrow. Hopefully we will be able to do something. Our favorite restaurant is pretty family friendly so we might go there. And as a real treat I am having somebody over to clean on Thursday! I am thinking I will stay in my studio with the baby and do some work and tend to her while the woman does her magic on the place.

Finally some Me Time!

Progress
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

The ultimate me time for me is working on art. And after a very difficult day yesterday where I got my first taste of baby blues I was able to have some of that much needed time today.

Blee went down for a nap around 10:30 and she is still sleeping. I used about an hour and a half of that time to work on carving this block that I hadn't been able to work on since August 21st and I think I made some significant progress. My goal was to get half of the negative space cleared out and I got a little more than that done. I haven't yet showered but who needs to shower when all you want to do is make art?

I realize that If I can get an hour or two in the next days I could actually get this block finished by the time my inlaws come at the end of next week and before the JP Open Studios. Having them around makes it much more likely that I will be able to take a couple of hours in my studio to print. And having new work for the Open Studios would be fantastic!

Now I will go shower. Oh wait, blee rises! Maybe later!

My Gosh!

Earthy Ginkgos
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Everybody is so baby obsessed! Not that I am at all hahah but I put up this picture on Flickr and within a couple of minutes am receiving comments not about it but about the blee. And I find out that my pregnancy buddy, the one with so much of the same pains and nearly the same due date (a few days behind) is getting induced today just after a midwife tells us that we should keep waiting. Gah!

While I know induction can be not fun I am feeling a little envious right now because I am so tired of this. Once again last night I had horrible pain that turned into contractions for hours. At times these contractions would be spaced out about every five minutes. Then they would just go away. My back hurt like crazy until around 2am when suddenly it stopped and I was finally able to get some sleep. This happens to some degree or another every night and it is driving both Jon and I crazy.

I was so pleased with myself for being able to as much done on the block as I have this past week by working in spurts on and off. All the linework around the edges of the images has been carved and the clearing of negative space has been started. It is going a lot faster than I ever expected it would in my condition. My blood may not be in this piece but certainly my sweat and tears are in it. I grit my teeth and carve until I am physically unable to anymore. I am doing a big local art fair at the end of September (hopefully) and I can't help but think how wonderful it would be if I actually had prints from this block to show then. But getting it carved and printed with this baby looming is not something I should be pressuring myself to do. It is so hard as I continue to wait for her to quit teasing me and show up. Then I can finally know just how much my life is going to change.

I'm going to try and go back to sleep. I feel awful. I was really hoping to wake up to labor pains instead of going to sleep with them. The thought of having a baby when we are both freaking exhausted is really scary. Last night during the contractions I was finding myself so tired I just wanted to have them let me sleep while doing a C section because I couldn't imagine pushing.

I love you all! xoxoxo

A week is a long time

Stop Working!
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Heck just a day or two seems like forever at this point. Today is my due date and I am not feeling hopeful about it. I don't know what is happening with this birth anymore. I'm going in to see my midwives twice a week now ever since my blood pressure went up a couple of weeks ago. I see my midwife every Friday and a different one on Tuesdays. And the other midwives do not seem to agree with my midwife's desire to induce me by the end of this week. While I wasn't exactly looking forward to getting induced I wish I knew what was happening.

I am horribly uncomfortable but my pressure is still down and all my tests are good and normal so the midwife I saw today just didn't feel comfortable scheduling an induction for me like I was told she would do. She seemed perfectly happy letting me go a week or more past my due date.

Last week I was feeling quite good physically and mentally and at a bit of a high point in the pregnancy. Despite my size I was pretty comfortable and actually was able to get some carving done on this block and make decent progress. I don't think that is possible anymore and it makes me sad and frustrated. This baby is growing and my body is hurting from it as it struggles to accommodate her size. I feel body parts pressing up at uncomfortable angles and points on my body and my movement and bending is very limited. Even getting out of bed and chairs is quite a painful chore at this time. My belly feels tight as a drum and very sore pretty much all the time and once again I am having difficulty sleeping. Even getting a good breath of air is difficult and painful. Women may have been going through this for thousands of years but that isn't making it any easier. It just makes the existence of the human race all the more amazing to me.

Sometimes I have contractions at night, they even get to be fairly regular, but they end up fading and eventually going away. I want her out Are babies ever on time?

I can still work! (a little)

Taking it on!
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Morning to all! Another Tuesday and no baby. Last night we were convinced she was on her way and were even using the computer to time contractions. Then the power went out and we both fell asleep. I guess they must not have been true contractions after all. I'm sure we are not the only impatient one at this point.

After having a few slug days in a row I had a small burst of energy last night a couple hours before bedtime. It wasn't super hot out and I had the air on and the door closed and Jon was in the bedroom hanging curtains. (now our bedroom can finally be nice and dark when we sleep). At first I thought maybe I would do some printing, but I realized that is insane and way too much commitment once I have my inks out so I decided to start carving this puppy instead! I know there is no way it will get finished anytime soon but I might as well get it started. Normally I carve standing up because I feel I get a better angle that way but pregnant I try to sit as much as possible. But at times it just wasn't possible and as I bent over to carve my belly would press up against my lower body. Seriously not comfortable and i tried not to do that often! Don't worry I didn't overdue it and stopped after about an hour and then took a lovely cool shower.

I've been feeling like such a useless slug with nothing but wanting this baby out on my mind for days now. It felt good to let out some creativity even if it wasn't much.

And now i have a bedroom with dark curtains so me and the baby can sleep better. I then vacated my studio and he hung curtains in there too. We got curtains for the whole place but the ones in the bedroom and my studio are the most important because that is where she will be sleeping. And the studio corner with her pack and play bassinet has a window right there that didn't even have blinds. I think we need to get even more to block light in there.

For a couple of days we were thinking that we want to have this baby on the 18th, that way she can share the date with both of us! That and see Superbad in the theaters on Friday the 17th! But I have since changed my mind and want her out ASAP. The more time passes the bigger she gets and from her squirms I am thinking she is very big and cramped in there!

Making art, listing on Etsy and putting stuff on Flickr is becoming less important in my mind. Blogging is becoming more difficult as well. I'm so tired so much of the time. But I have discovered that people tend to jump to the conclusion that I am having the baby if I don't at least poke my head out once a day! I was thinking if the power wasn't back on by morning I would have to call somebody to post that I am not having the baby I just don't have power! I swear that other than my mother in law my friends and the people I know through Etsy are the most excited about her arrival. Or maybe it is just that my family tends to be very reserved.

We have plans for a BBQ at a friend's house and a play date for local greyhounds to run around in a fenced in area tonight. Jon is working on finishing up some major projects at work before he takes his leave. So probably she'll come sometime today! That is fine with me because I really would like to avoid getting induced or having a C section. Recovery for a C can be really difficult and I have a big art fair that I would really like to do at the end of September. It is very important to me.

P.S. feeling better after my emotional moodiness from the last post! Thanks for being understanding.

Manic? Me? No!

Crazy Block
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Okay, maybe just a little bit! smiles

It is Monday already? Why does my weekend feel wasted? It wasn't, but it is just never enough since there is so much to do.

The heat got to me and I wasn't able to print yesterday as planned. My body just wasn't cooperating at all. Instead I made a promo poster (side A, side B) to and sent it to the JPOS for them to include in binders throughout the area. Postmark date today!

I took a nice nap and actually woke up feeling rather refreshed for a change. My brain was hopping a bit and I started going through my sketchbook and adding new doodles. I'm not a huge sketcher but sometimes I doodle or do very loose plans for images. That is where this crazy block came from. Pulling random images and throwing them all on one block in a mad drawing fury. I had more that wouldn't fit that I was tempted to put on the other side but I restrained myself, reminding myself that the drawing part is the easy part of this process. That carving this won't be a fast and easy task for sure.

And I won't be letting myself carve this no matter how much I want to until I print. I have around 50 sheets of beautiful Japanese papers torn and ready to go and those four new images to print. This new crazy block can wait or I may end up totally screwing myself over and not have any new work before blee comes!

It feels so good when my brain works like this with energy and not wanting or needing sleep but it wears me out eventually and if I don't force myself to focus I don't get things done I just get too many things started and end up overwhelmed. I feel very impatient with myself right now wishing I had carved or printed yesterday but my body was not able to print and by the time I finished drawing the block it was midnight and time for bed like it or not. Plus, starting carving means messing up the studio I cleaned up for printing.

This morning it is raining and cooler. Still muggy but not nearly as bad as yesterday. I had a so-so night sleeping having woken up feeling icky a few times but managing to control it. Then around 6am (I think) I was woken up again by a thunderclap. I love thunder but I need my sleep! Right now I need my coffee or a big pot of tea.

Currently the colors I am thinking for today are a golden yellow/ orange. slate blue and deep purple. I hope my body and the heat don't do me in.

Weekend Plans

Final Four
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

I hope everybody has fun stuff planned this weekend. And is able to stay cool. It is hot as heck here in Boston. My fun stuff is art and baby stuff.

After what turned out to be a very productive week I now hope to have a productive weekend filled with art and baby prep. Heck, I consider working on art as baby prep at this point. Because I am doing something that is important for me to do before the baby comes!

I finished carving the last of these four images (on two blocks) yesterday and now I am off to touch up the carving a bit, make sure there are no snaggy areas in the carving and that the areas I need deep are deep enough. Other than that they are done. Then clean off the desk which is currently a mess of woodchips and carving tools.

Once the desk is cleared I can tear my paper and I want lots of paper! Thankfully I do have a bunch that is already half done. I have some new paper that I want to try too. Hopefully I will get to printing by Sunday.

Last night I was really nervous that today was going to be ruined because my stomach was acting up and feeling acidic. I was exhausted but didn't go to sleep until around 2am because of the pain and fear. But it had settled down enough at that point and I slept very well. I'm not even all that sore like I was yesterday morning. We both slept in and as I rose Jon leaned over and rubbed my back. I feel very motivated to get stuff done today after a good night's rest.

This weekend is important for us to do stuff around the house. My baby shower is next Saturday. Boy has that really snuck up on me! It looks like two of my best friends will be coming from NYC for it and I am excited. I'm excited to see everybody that will attend. Many of them have not seen me since I got huge.

Happy happy joy joy!

Color Explosion!
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Blogging on a Sunday! Whoa!

Today is just about the opposite of yesterday for me. Gosh these flip flopping moods are going to be the death of me!

In an attempt to recreate the lost print as best I can I brought out the blocks involved; circles, cityscape and stitching (haven't printed that one yet) and yellow, orange and purple (haven't gotten to that one yet either) ink. And wow! Not only is the recreation going pretty well so far, though I still have the final layer of purple to do and that is by far the hardest part. The super subtle barely there purple in that missing piece was a complete accident, and of course accidents are pretty hard to recreate! I do believe there was artistic magic in the air when I made that piece since almost none of the other pieces turned out that day. Just that one.

At this point I am hopeful that the recreation will be good enough to satisfy me. But honestly even if it doesn't I have so many cool things as a result of this I won't be all that heartbroken about the loss. I took out the majority of the unfinished pieces I had in a drawer of various colors and added yellow and or orange to them and it turned out great. Some are finished, most are near finished. Despite only printing two blocks with two colors I have so much variety. It feels like old times, only more sore. I am going to try and do the purple layer now after I clean up the orange ink a bit. And the new studio setup seriously rocks. Printing no longer equals half finished print and newsprint explosion.

I even have a new ACEO listed to show for it. And more to come.

Working small

Completed Face Woodblock
Originally uploaded by m.Lee

Yawn! I have been up for hours yet my brain still hasn't caught up. The problem with taking medicine to sleep is that it does leave me with a bit of a medicine hangover that is hard to shake. But if I don't take the medicine I don't sleep and that is much worse. I'm drinking a pot of tea not. I hope everybody else is having a more alert morning, soon to be after noon than I am.

I haven't carved a new block in so long. The last block I finished carving was the large maple leaf block over two months ago and that wasn't even a new design but something I had started back in November. So I have been doing doodles on paper and on wood. And I can't even remember the last time I carved a block specifically to be used for art cards and only art cards. So now is the perfect time to focus on that, they are quick to carve and the wood is so small the money lost if I mess up is piddly. Not much of a time loss either. The lack of any sort of real risk is something I find freeing when I am in a creative slump.

I carved this face on a 3.5"x4" block of scrap wood. Bigger than an art card so that when I use it I can place the blank cards in different spots for different compositions. On the other side of it I have poppies. The image should look very familiar since it is the same poppies I have been offering in a 6"x6" size for over a year now shrunk down. I was doodling and had a drawn but uncolored and unshrunk shrinkydink pendant lying on my desk that I happened to glance at. I also had a blank art card that I picked up and placed near the future pendant. At that size it would suit an art card quite nicely I realized. So I transfered my drawing onto the wood, got out my magnifying visor to help me carve the tight spaces and carved it.

Now I have quite a few new images to print once I clean off my desk. Then I can print. Other than that today should be pretty quiet and laid back. I think I am going to meet Jon at the Museum of Fine Arts tonight to check out the Edward Hopper exhibit they are having. That museum hasn't had an exhibit that interested me since the Gauguin exhibit back when we first moved here four years ago! Then we will get dinner somewhere in that area. Our favorite Thai resturant is around there but I think both of us would like to find someplace new.