"I Miss My Camera" and Other Break-Is-Almost-Over Regrets

Class starts back up on Tuesday.  I thoroughly enjoy learning and college, but it IS a lot of work and stress.  I'm looking forward to starting the semester, but I'm looking forward to it being over even more.  With the end of my relative freedom drawing nearer, I find myself looking back over it with mixed emotions. 
I had a little over a month off between the fall semester and the upcoming spring semester.  I had such high hopes for break - the books I was going to read, the tack I was going to make, the things I was going to photograph and draw.  I had even planned to finish up my little muley girl.

Needless to say, not much of that happened.  I slept, a lot.  I read some books, but not the ones I had planned.  War and Peace still sits on my shelf, unfinished.  I took some pictures, but mostly of saddles and family events.  Not bad, but not what I had hoped for.  I think I sketched for a little while one night, but nothing productive happened.  I didn't touch my little Boo-girl hardly at all.  She's still unfinished.

I place the blame for my lack-luster break in three areas: an especially stressful finals period, an especially stressful holiday season, and the mother of all head colds, which is just now beginning to release it's death grip after at least three weeks of misery.  I didn't have much productive time in the studio until after the new year.  BUT, once I recovered from PTFD (post traumatic finals disorder) and the holidays, I got quite a bit done.

  • I finished the saddle tutorial.
  • I made four sales pieces between January 1 and 13, all of which have sold and shipped.
  • I started prototyping an Australian Stock saddle and am now on the second draft. Still some tweaking to do, but I think the third time will be the charm.
  • I got all of my textbooks and things ordered and am now set for the next semester.  Lord, please help it to go quickly.
  • I went out this morning and spent 45 minutes taking pictures at a state wildlife reserve.  No wildlife to speak of, but out in the middle of dirt roads with no other people.  It was nice, but I realized just how much I miss my camera and the absence of other people.
Today was probably the last really productive day in the studio until May 14. Tomorrow I need to get all of my studio stuff cleaned up (or at least bring the mess down to manageable proportions) and get 2011's book keeping squared away.  I sort of gave up on it when the fall semester started, so I'm a little nervous.  There's a lot of stuff I haven't entered.  I need to actually start 2012, but the year is young enough that it shouldn't be a problem.  The website has been very neglected as well, and I'd like to get the galleries updated before class starts again.

As mentioned - I took some pictures this morning.  Somewhere around 260 of them, and that's just because it was cold.  Out of those 260, only 20 or so were worth editing.  Here are a few of my favorites.







And a photo of the latest Australian Stock saddle revision.






5 comments:

  1. Lovely photos! What are you studying in school? I'm also in school and can relate to the entire range of motions you described!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds like a lot of work ahead of you, good luck for it! You can do it! And there will be some time in the future, when you can do the things you like most!

    Nice pictures!! What kind of camera and lens do you use? I'm thinking about buying me a dslr-camera too, because I like taking pictures al lot too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Danielle: I'm going after a Bachelor of Fine Arts, but I'm open to change! My chosen career path is graphic designer, which I'm getting a feel for at the newspaper I work at. It's not all fun and games, but the good days far outweigh the not-quite-so-good days.

    Shanti: I have a Nikon D60 and use the kit lens, which is a Nikkor 18-55mm. The lens is okay, but it definitely has it's limitations. I'd love to get a macro lens, but I don't have the funds. That's on my list of things to do when I have the time to do the things I love the most!

    ReplyDelete
  4. That first picture is just lovely!

    I remember the grand plans I would have for my winter breaks! They never quite happened the way I'd planned. I'd say your list of accomplishments is pretty impressive, even without the head cold!

    I miss being in school and immersed in academics, but I sure don't miss the stress and the busyness and the lack of free time.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I took 2 years off between high school and college, and when I started in 2010 I loved it. Thrived on it. Now it's getting more stressful, the light at the end of the tunnel is getting a little dimmer, and by the time it's over I think academia will have me so thoroughly whipped that I will happily accept a cubicle.

    Well, that's a little melodramatic. It's not that bad, I'm just staring at the syllabus of a class that I assumed would be easy. Keyword being "assumed." I could still be wrong; I had the same vibe about last semester's History II and ended up getting along really well with the professor.

    ReplyDelete