Monday, May 1, 2017

Blogging When Life Gets In The Way of Your Plans

The fact that I had to spend half an hour to regain entry to this blog is proof that it's been WAY too long since I blogged. Last night while volunteering at the Montclair Film Festival I was discussing my book and art work with another volunteer and her husband. It was the frustration of feeling that I have a really good product, but can't seem to get the word out. She reminded me that I need to gather a blog following to have publishers take me seriously. So today when I checked into my blog, I was appalled to realize it has been 10 months since I made an entry.

Life tends to get in the way of plans...

Since I last blogged the following things have happened:
  • I've completed the remaining 162 (+) drawings of Moueskin
  • I took an 11,120 mile Great American Road around the U.S. with my husband 
  • We spent five days on the Navajo Reservation near Winslow, AZ delivering food and gifts to the Navajo elders with Adopt-A-Native-Elder
  • I've created a journal with drawings of our 52-day road trip
  • I've worked for about 2 weeks in the Admissions office at my old school earning extra money 
  • I've created three picture puzzles from Mousekin drawings
  • I've created three sets of notecards based on my Mousekin drawings (and sold quite a few sets)
  • I've  set up an on-line store (MousekinMarket.com) to sell my puzzles & notecards
  • I've made good progress in funding and producing a Centennial Journal for Camp Glen Gray and helping to plan the weekend-long event
  • I've gotten about 2,000 children's drawings of their favorite movies contributed from school children and posted around town for the Montclair Film Festival
  • I've had open-heart surgery and done 19 cardio-rehab sessions
  • I've made a poster and walked in The People's Climate March in Washington, D.C.
Not to mention the things we all need to do like cooking meals, organizing papers for taxes, weeding gardens, preparing for Christmas, volunteering at the library, doing laundry and reading WAY too many mysteries.

SO, my drawing skills have improved significantly, but my publishing skills have been rusting. My discussion at the Film Festival has reminded me of the need to focus. SO here I am back on line to share the continuing story of On The Laundry Lawn, my embryonic children's book.

Although I have a lot of commitments in the next two months, I will blog each week, and I will get back to an organized writing/drawing schedule and space. How?

  1. Watch Less TV
  2. Spend less time reading and more time writing
  3. Organize STUFF so I don't waste so much time looking for things
  4. Start some serious de-cluttering
If you want to encourage me, please post a comment. I will be looking for responses. I didn't meet all my goals for last year, but I DID draw my 366 mice and a few extra as well. If you want to see them  you can find the 366 at Pi-SunyerNaturlly.com under "The Mouse Project" and the 2017 mice at BackyardNaturally.net under "Mousekin and Friends". 

Have to run. Duty calls. See you next week!