18 March 2006

A Long Struggle

Okay, I was depressed. I'll admit although I'm not too proud of it. Between the hassles with my husband's truck, having everyone tell me what I should or should not be doing, and facing the taxes, I got depressed. I felt like I was in a long struggle with little chance to win and the only thing I got back for my effort was criticism. So, I spent a couple of days doing nothing but reading a Tom Clancy novel (Executive Orders) and that helped get my mind of everything and give me some perspective.

One thing I did was to get out my pencils and work on some drawings. I actually finished the portrait I was doing both for my portfolio and for a demonstration for my web site. (If you'd like to see how a pencil portrait is done, step by step, visit http://www.lmhornberger.com/drdemo.htm ) I also worked on some on a couple of other pencil commissions, but as my head wasn'[t in the best of shapes, I didn't try to get too far with them. As to why drawing helps I think it has to do with the concentration it takes. I work on one small area at a time, with just a pencil point to fill in the area. It really becomes a form of meditation.

Another thing I did was to get out of the house and take some photos. While I love my house, I need to remember that I should get out and see new things. I know some people are happy with routine, but not me. I like variety and new challenges, so finding new subjects for my paintings is wonderful. Now, I'm anxious to get working on some new subjects, such as goats.

These two things helped me pull myself up by the bootstraps, so to speak, and I'm feeling better. I'm not totally back to my perky self, but then again, I'm not sitting around reading novels and eating donuts all day either!

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