2 Weeks Full -Part 2

I said 2 weeks full but in retrospect it's been about a month.

I am 2 weeks into 2 online classes with Susan Tuttle in photomanipulation ( 2&3)

Working in photoshop learning some new techniques and processes.

I have taken Susan's Layers class and Ghostly images in the past and decided to catch these 2 since she was repeating them this month before moving on to new workshops in the new year.

I highly recommend any of her classes if you are into photomanipulation and art photography.

Then, on a whim, at the suggestion of a friend i joined this online class with Sharon Tomlinson since i love doing collage and hate doing faces but love faces. Figured this might be a way out of that dilemma and so far it is proving to be a wonderful class and Ning group. Sharon's classes are ongoing and don't close so this was really nice as i can't do the work just yet.

Then, a class I signed up for as soon as it was announced, MONTHS AGO, and couldn't wait to take, is this encaustic class with the oh-so-talented Judy Wise.

It was so jam packed full of info, new videos and intructions 5 days a week for 4 glorious weeks with a yahoo group for Q&A and show and tell.

It was the best! I hated to see it end, i so enjoyed all the videos and Judy's calm voice so full of knowledge and peace, every morning.

Judy will be releasing an ebook and DVD for purchase on the class and i highly recommend this also if you're even the slightest bit interested in painting with encaustics.

Now, I haven't actually been able to do any of the classwork for these workshops yet, probably not until after the new year and things settle down but i am absorbing them and their creative energy like a sponge!

So much so that about 10 days ago, I was getting ready for sleep, TRYING to pray, and an epiphany came to me and my muse was yelling at me so loud that i had to get up, head to my desk, and start writing.

The ideas that came out on paper, drawings, process, ideas, names and titles was unreal!

I looked up supplies and info on the computer and had all the answers before I could head back to bed and quiet the noise in my head!

It was blissful though.

I began this blog about a year and a half ago to find my muse and my direction and my voice again.

It is found.

Loud and Clear.

Only problem is, my muse picked a heck of a time to show up, just when i won't be able to get to work on it until after the holidays!

My life right now is bottlenecking, more than usual, like 10 lanes of traffic trying to merge into 3.

We will be closing the restaurant from Nov 28th, right after Thanksgiving and reopening February 9,2012.

We used to close like this many years ago from right after Thanksgiving until the first week in February while things were slow here, tourism down and try to do renovations and upkeep and get a break before slamming into another season.

I think it will do us a world of good this year as it has been a trying year for sure.

There is just so much that i have to take care of to close and end the year, books, taxes, paperwork etc and I've been out of practice, having not done it this way in so long.

Hence the not being able to be creative just yet.

Then of course I am also in the middle of cleaning closets, reorganizing, trying to take care of things that don't get done while we are in the busy season, hosting company, getting ready for the holidays and finishing up the round robin I am involved in.

So, that's my 2 weeks.

Now to catch up on some blog reading!