Life is what happens when you are busy.
Yeah, I get it; the real quote is: Life is what happens when you are busy making plans. Well, I guess I just got to caught up in what was going on to finish the statement. For those of you who are following me, you know I just got into Averill Park, NY for my residency. I landed at 6:30 last night and actually was in bed by 9pm. Considering that is 6pm pst, that is pretty early. My watch tells me I was asleep by 9:30, but I woke up at 10pm, 12am and 2am. It gave me an OK sleep score and since I was in a different time zone and that is about my average sleep rating, I’ll take it.
In the past 2 weeks as I have been shipping art supplies and packing I have found out that a friend is having a sever health crisis, another has a foster child of many years in the ICU, a third’s new puppy has parvo and our house was given a new roof. As I write this, it is 6:15 at home and I realize that I can’t reach out to my friends because they are probably either leaving for work or just now reaching to make their first cup of Jo. To know that my morning is half over while theirs is barely started is a strange feeling. At least my husband was up when I was, or mostly.
I am staying at the part of the property known as “The House on the Hill” and it is best described as ‘picturesque’. Would you consider it colonial? It is graceful and has a lot of personality, with quirks to inspire creativity. The live in director calls it a “glamping” commune, where artistic people come together and inspire each other. I didn’t really arrive with many expectations and found myself charmed by the details of the 1800’s building.
It is similar to a college lifestyle in that you are given creative freedom and there aren’t any expectations put on your creativity while you are here. Consider it an artistic incubator for your art practice. If you can afford to pay for the whole thing without any scholarship, the only constraints put on you is that you clean up after yourself and that you live in harmony with those around you while you are here. As I requested some assistance, I am on the hook for 4 hours of labor a week for the duration of my stay. 4 hours is less time than I spend on my chores at home each week.
I feel disconnected from home; because of the time change of 3 hours, the distance of the geography between us, and finally the pace of life here. This is a residency where you get out of it what you put in to it and not for those who lack focus. If I was single, I would be envious of the live in but I probably wouldn’t be very good for the place as I would be painting and promoting myself, thus generally on the road at shows and not doing as good a job as she. I moved into my studio and collapsed into the bed for a nap. Tomorrow I will be getting into painting and making art. Stay tuned for what happens because the fall colors are in abundance around me here.