A Little at a Time

Here is the same image, this time with highlights added.  I literally finished this with a screaming toddler wrapped around my leg.

Whenever I start a big project, I am hit by a singularly unproductive wave of jittery energy to do everything all at once.  This wave is driven by fear of various sorts: fear that I have to prove myself, fear that my work isn't good enough; fear that I don't have enough time.  Writer Deborah Marcus humorously addresses the latter fear in a recent blog post.  My wave of energy invariably crashes onto the pointy reality that I don't have boundless open time, and leaves me in a funk.

But I have successfully tackled a few long-term projects over the years, and they have given me a road map through the rocks.  First order of business: squelch the wave of jittery energy!  Kill all hopes of accomplishing anything in a hurry!  Doing a little every day or every few days is very very productive over a long period of time.

Prior to having kids, I did a painting a day in oils to learn the medium.  I finished 200-plus paintings over the course of a year.  This I did primarily by hauling myself out of bed at the time of day when I would rather sleep.  Then, while pregnant with my second child, AND working, I wrote and self-published a rather hefty cookbook for food banks to use as a fundraiser. That work was done after Gabe was in bed, and later, after both kids were asleep.  I basically gave up a year of television and games to do that, and it was worth it.

It's nice to be back in the saddle.