Hey- Who's the Artist Here?

(Another entry in the 'Procrastination Series')

It seems that my tendancy to procrastinate kicks into highest gear when I have the most to get done - but I guess that's what procrastination is all about.

Take the last few days, for example: I'm leaving next week on a 2-month trip to all sorts of climates, so needless to say, I've got a ton of organizing, packing, phone calls, and emails to do. And I really need to make some changes to my website before I head out. On top of that, I have a request to paint a challah board (that's a bread board that's used on the Sabbath) as a gift for wedding celebrations I'll be attending in the States. So what do I actually wind up doing? Thinking about writing a blog post or two- which I also put off doing, because I had so many other things to get done!
(OK, I did take care of a lot of phone calls, emails, and assorted other things. But I still haven't started packing, and, as you'll read in a moment, I just started the painting.)

[BTW- have I previously posted the story about how, in Painting I, I did an entire semester's worth of paintings in the last 36 hours of the term? (And that I got an 'A' in the course because the professor loved how, looking at the paintings, he 'could clearly see the progression of my work during the course of the semester'?!]

As I mentioned, I finally started the painting. I really didn't have a choice- it has to be all finished and sealed by Sunday afternoon, in order for it dry in time for me to pack in my suitcase. On a list of priorities (I'm really good at making lists), it clearly was number one.

I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted to paint, and how it would look. I ran the idea by my husband last night, and he said, "You can't do that- it won't work. You need to do _____".

That almost caused a crisis, because I knew, I really knew that I didn't want to paint what he was suggesting, even though I understood it might be what the happy couple I was painting it for would prefer.

I tossed and turned over it last night, and could feel another serious round of procratination facing me when I woke up this morning. Suddenly I found a bunch of pressing things that absolutely had to get done right away. I was doing anything I could to delay entering my studio.

Then, over breakfast (of course I had to have a big breakfast to fortify myself for the 'battle' I was going to face when I picked up my paintbrush- hmm, now that I think about it, I think I eat my best meals when I'm in the midst of procratinating..), I just couldn't take it anymore, and I said (to myself, as my husband was at work):

"Hey- who's the artist here?!"

Suddenly, with those words, the procrastination cloud lifted. I finished my breakfast, but it was now a 'working breakfast', because as I chewed, colors and paintbrushes and finishes filled my head. It wasn't long before I was up in the studio, applying the first glazes to the board.

Once those clouds lifted, they really cleared away, because here I am, writing while the glaze dries, and before I started typing away, I made some notes on the changes I want to make to my website.

Now, I just need to tear myself away from the computer, and get back up to the studio....