It's in the air...sometimes we have to fall back and regroup, for our peace of mind, our sanity, our soul. Things that sounded wonderful at the time--or WERE--grow like kudzu and choke the life out of us, or out of a project.
Many of you know that I'm in the process of simplifying and refocusing...I have been, in ways, for years. I wrote a similar blog post in September of last year, on nurturing creativity: http://cathyjohnsonart.blogspot.com/2014/08/nurturing-creativityor-killing-it.html
Heading in this direction, I no longer take commissions, I no longer paint miniature portraits, I no longer do in-person workshops. I don't take freelance work for magazines. The current book will be my last one for an outside publisher. I've said yes to things that got out of hand, got horribly complex, or weren't what I'd expected. That will stop.
Yes, even more than it has. I want to focus on those things that matter most to me.
For the first time in a rather long time, I'm excited about a new class idea...Meaningful Journaling. (Meaning-full Journaling?)
It may be quite some time before I have time to CREATE it, classes are complex beasts requiring hours of writing, illustration, video, and organization, so please be patient--but I'm aiming in that direction.
And I can't tell you how pleased I am by your initial response! I'll keep you updated, and clarify more what it will be about, as time goes by.
What it will not be, is a step-by-step, how-to, demo-and-exercise class; I've done that already, in numerous formats. It will be in-depth, personal, and a sharing of how journaling has changed my life and continues to do so. I'll include resources and a bibliography of books that support this process--some art-related, some not. (But as an artist, and knowing how making images can change us in amazing ways, that will be our focus.)
(And yes, this post has been sitting in my draft folder for 6 months, and the idea's been popping around in my brain for much longer...one thing at a time...)
