Unfinished projects. We all have them and they thrive under the protective love/hate umbrella. Their existence can feel reassuring because as long as we keep whittling on them we feel like we’re moving forward … that is, until we’re surrounded by unfinished things that can turn on a dime into an overwhelming mob. Add the hardwired rule that ‘you can’t play until your work is done’ or ‘no dessert until you’ve cleaned your plate’ and you can feel trapped. If we’re way behind, that can be a hard cycle to break.
I have been working on shuffling rooms in my home; moving my studio into what was a spare bedroom, and making my old studio into a music room. I thought that this nesting process could be done in a couple of months but I had underestimated how much clutter had accumulated and how many embedded projects were involved. It’s these embeds that fool you. The downsizing tasks alone that include selling or rehoming the excess can crush. Then, looming in my mind is the calendar and I realize that by this point in the month I should be farther along in my tax preparation, readying my work for a show next month, and basic winter housekeeping projects.
As I move things around I have begun to unearth unfinished paintings. Painting is my play and my dessert so it is especially hard to keep doing the less pleasant projects in leu of the fun. So I realized that I need to redefine balance. I am breaking up the overwhelming mountain into smaller portions – small plates – each followed by their own rewarding dessert. Today’s treat is finishing a painting of a boat I saw come into the bay in Grand Marais one evening in July. This more balanced approach has potential.
Kelly E. James 