Hello, Friends. It's been a while...

My apologies for the blogging drought, my dear readers. It's been a busy, busy few weeks full of many distractions. A new house was involved (our first!), work challenges came and went, serious discussions about cat ownership occurred (although I am sad to report that we will continue to remain a cat-free household for the foreseeable future).  And in the midst of all this, I didn't work on much of anything.  It was a nice break, to be honest.

Then April came around and when I realized that I hadn't posted for a month I started wondering about whether to sign things off altogether.  It's tough to think about ending something that you've put so much work into.  Blogs aren't like other projects.  When they stop being new, they just end up being sad dead ends.  I know I feel annoyed when I check out one of my favourite blogs and see that they haven't been updated in weeks, but short of officially signing off on this one, that's really what this blog has become.  Maybe it makes more sense to post projects through facebook?  I'm not sure...

Anyway, I'm still mid-debate about this and maintaining my 'wait and see' approach.  In the meantime, I'm still switching things up to try and fit in all I want to do.  T and I recently re-adopted our old habit of working out in the mornings (so, so early), which has been pretty good at getting me back to the gym on a regular schedule.

I've also started popping into more open drawing sessions.  Below are some images from Thursday night.  Other than that, I'm going to keep on going the way I've been going.  Hopefully, that will mean more posts soon.

1 minute

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In like a...

I'm so glad to see the end of February! Despite the flurry of hearts and candy around the 14th, February is the pits when it comes to weather, fun, and inspiration. I want to walk around in bare feet and have drinks on a patio again!

March, on the other hand, is just the kind of unpredictable, wild, and eventful month that I've been craving. The days are getting longer (I actually get to see the sun before and after work!) and once the calender hits month three I always feel like it's safe to start expecting sunnier days and maybe even some warmth in the air. I'm also hoping March is going to bring a little more breathing room to my current schedule. Now that I'm beginning to build a little momentum at work and finally back to my regular gym routine, I'm working on getting back to my creative projects too.

First up is a much needed 2011 'Goals List'. It won't be 100 items long, but I'm going to pull something more formal together to keep me on track. I've also been looking at some new class options. There are some amazing programs in the city once you start looking for them: one day embroidery classes, weekend zine workshops, drawing sessions, that elusive screenprinting workshop that I always miss the registration period for. I definitely want to start committing myself to a few formal classes to keep me working. Nothing like putting a deposit down to keep you motivated!

Small Blessings

This whole balance thing has been pretty tricky lately.  Since taking on a new role at work, I've been consumed by my job in a way that I've never been before.  It's strange to go from a place of confidence and knowledge to a place of pure learning and bumbling around. Everything is new and, while I love the challenge, it's also been incredibly busy and, well, totally exhausting.

My valentine project was an amazing distraction during my first few weeks, but since completing it I've found it hard to pick up something new (and I'm starting to miss my 100 Things List!).  One habit that I've been trying to get into is on nights when I don't go to the gym after work (a good run has been my best de-stresser lately) I stop off at a coffee shop on my way home and write for at least a half an hour.  

So I've been gathering lots of scratches of ideas and waiting for inspiration to strike...

However, in the midst of all of this craziness, there have been so many small blessings that have kept me feeling optimistic.  Little things, like running into one of my super-cheery neighbours on the subway and having one of those sunny conversations that pops you out of the whole isolated-strangers-in-the-city vibe.  Or getting to take a walk on a freakishly warm February evening and remember how good it feels when winter is over (soon, soon...). Or coming home to lovely surprise packages in the mail from one of your favourite creative buddies such as these beautiful prints:

These are the things that keep me feeling energized and inspired.  And I'm so grateful for them.

I'll be off to the country this weekend, so I probably won't update for a few days.  I'm hoping that a bit of time outside the city will help me re-focus and get something new in the works.  At the very least, I'm looking for at least one day of pure slothary.  Preferably with cookies and an unhealthy amount of tea.

I hope you all have something fun and inspiring planned for the weekend!  

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's the big reveal of the little Valentine I've been working on lately.  I've been dreaming about this work for ages and Valentine's Day gave me the perfect deadline to see it through.

The valentine is a little chapbook of a poem and a series of pen and ink drawings.  It's a little campy, but as soon as I had the poem down I knew exactly how I wanted the rest of it to look.

If you're a regular commenter/follower of Sonnet and Mayhem, you've likely already received your own copy through the mail. (Of course, I will feel absolutely horrible if I've forgotten anyone!) Likewise, I know that I have quite a few silent followers who might have missed out either because I didn't have your mailing address or I don't know who you are. If you fit into either of these two categories and would like your own copy of the valentine, please drop me a note with your mailing address and I will lovingly send one out to you.  

And please don't be afraid to email! I know how it feels to be a silent reader of other blogs and feel weird about actually sending a message or question to another blogger, but I've had so many amazing interactions by simply reaching out and commenting, entering giveaways, or posting about someone else's awesome creative work. I won't think it's weird. I will totally love it! And I want to send out as many of these as possible.  Just ask and you will receive!

I hope if you did received one that it brightened your day a little bit! It was the best way I could think of to say thank you to all of you for your continued support and love!

FYI - Here's the poem

1.

I’m a workhorse, not a romantic

I wish you would remember that

and I rarely dream

2.

I don’t skip

I might recoil, harbour, leap, ache, covet

But I never skip

3.                                                                   

My defences are

inconsistent

Bristling at a slight

While forgiving

greater tortures

4.           

You send me into battle far too often

But to be fair,

I often grow restless

5.

If I had my way

There would be no roller coasters

or scary movies

Last Hint... I Swear

This is how I spent my evening. No further details until next Monday!

Rollercoaster

I love rollercoasters.  I thought I might love sketching one, but then I realized that it's really hard to draw a rollercoaster.

Nevertheless, here's a sample of what I was working on tonight:

Half way through...

Pretty much done... I think.

Another one for the project that I really need to finished this weekend!

Treasures

I was looking forward to today because one of my favourite Toronto artists, Shannon Gerrard, was having a sale of her original drawings and prints to fund an upcoming road trip.  I have a number of her printed works already, but jumped at the chance to buy one her original drawings.

I picked up one large original sketch, a folio of silk screened prints of her series 'unspent love', and a few other smaller poetry creations. Such an incredible collection of work!