Don't Forget to PLAY!

Friends often remark that they don't know how I get it all done, yet I don't see myself doing anything extraordinary. I'm living. I love life. Even the crappy days are good because I always learn something about the world or my little microcosm. Yes, I get tired and I sleep. Yes, I get frustrated BUT I keep on keeping on. Usually, the good things happen after the initial few steps of "keeping on." Okay, some times, it might be a half mile or so into the matter until things start to look and feel a little better. Henry Rollins recently did a great -- and funny --video about being the master of your own destiny. Check it out.

Rollins got me thinking about whether there is anything important that I give up in life to do what I do. In other words, what are common things that I DON'T do and that I don't miss doing? They are:

• watch television. The rare exception is the news.
• hang out. I am not a hanger-outer or a chit-chatter and, for as much as I love people, I relish solitude.
• talk on the phone endlessly. It's like hanging out to me.
• Manicures, pedicures, body wax, hair waves, weaves, perms, color jobs, etc ... My stylist wants to color my hair. I tell him I cannot sit long enough for this process. Besides, I want to see how I look with my naturally-occurring, ever-increasing salt and pepper highlights.

For folks who like any or all of the above, go for it! Live YOUR life the way you want. Do what makes you happy.That's the point. It just so happens that I am one of those production-oriented types who likes to learn stuff, likes to make stuff and likes to be busy all the time. Even when I am cleaning house, my head is working on paintings or photographs or writing or processing something I read. Rollins also talks about saying "yes to everything," meaning opportunities, which often give you the benefit of new experiences with folks who you would not have had the chance to meet. A while back, when I was feeling particularly tired, I thought that I should say "no thanks" a lot more than I do, which is almost never. I've just never been good at saying "no" to doing something, even things I don't necessarily like because there is always something good that comes out of saying "yes."

I rise early (5:30ish on weekdays; sixish on weekends) and go to bed at a decent time (usually between 10 and 11 p.m.) Sometimes, I even get in a 20-minute nap. Early morning is when I do my first round of exercising and a lot of my outdoor photography. Evenings are for art administrative tasks and play. Using "playtime," I made this digital art, which is based in a photograph I shot several weeks ago in our garden. Playtime for me is also a learning experience, wherein anything goes and, if it does not go, then nothing is lost. Nothing. I still learned SOMETHING about what works and what does not, about process, about ME.

Don't Forget to Play

 I am convinced that play leads to production. I am a better person, partner and professional for giving myself permission to play. Whatever you do, whatever changes you make toward living a full life -- PLEASE remember to PLAY!

Visit me Nov 6th and 7th for Art Studio Tour

A corner of my studio

My gallery and studio, Arts on Union, 203 N. Union St., Middletown, is one of the 32 central Pennsylvania artists on the upcoming, free Art Studio Tour. The event, in its 12th year, will take place Saturday, Nov. 6 from 10 am. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, November 7 from noon to 5 p.m. and is designed to offer the public the chance to meet and support local artists by visiting the studios in which they work.

There will be a free drawing for a $100 gift certificate and a $50 gift certificate. Winners can use the certificates at any of the studios on the tour later this year or during the Art Studio Tour 2011. Registration cards will be available at each participating tour location.  In addition to Arts on Union, artists in Annville, Elizabethtown, Hershey, Hummelstown, Lebanon Mt. Gretna, and Schaefferstown are on the tour.  Visitors may set their own agenda in making their way from studio to studio. Arts on Union will have tour brochures and tour cards for a chance to win the gift certificate.

This is my third year of doing the tour and I love meeting folks from Middletown and all the travelers who stop in. Some people come to Christmas shop. Some come because they are curious about what an artist does. At the very least, people who visit will leave with an understanding of why my jeans and sweaters always have a freshly-painted look. The event is also good for Middletown. I like to send visitors to our restaurants and shops and I like hearing, afterward, that they did spend some time in town before continuing the tour.

During tour weekend, visitors to Arts on Union will have the opportunity to watch me work on several projects, including paintings on canvas and photographic prints. I like to talk about what I do, so feel free to ask questions.

Folks who are shopping for new home decor, art or doing their holiday shopping will find bargains!