WAHOO!

Highlights is purchasing my pre-school fingerplay "Pigs of Summer." I got the contract in the mail today. Poems don't make a living but they certainly make me happy: Once when I write it, once when I sell it, and whenever I read them to children. My husband is happy that I've sold something to. He hopes I'll stop moping around the house for a while.

Everyone says that poetry is the foundation of all good writing. It is interesting that I've sold three poems but not longer manuscripts. To ponder: How I can keep my poetry word sense when I'm telling a longer story?

You've got to spend money to make money

I just got my new emac and Wacom Tablet. The computer was second hand and the tablet refurbished by the company so I saved some money but you know what they say... You've got to spend money to make money. I just set it up and have been playing with corel paint. Trying to decide if I'm a draw by hand, paint by computer person or a everything digital person. I'm also trying to understand the sensitivity of the tablet. I feel as if I have to push to make the line so I'm working on that. It seems that the fill tool in corel is similar to photoshop in that you have to be careful to close all of the space before you fill. I love the tablet feature that you can turn over the stylus to erase. So cool. I also finally bought a digital camera. Which I love already. I'd been researching and taking photoshop and digital photography so I feel good about my choice, the Nikon coolpix.

Tonight I have a writer's meeting. So I'm thinking about what I can bring. So many ideas and not enough time to complete everything. One week until my first grader starts school. Full day! I'm looking forward to that. My younger son will be in pre-school five days if I can sign him up for the extra two days. Never thought about this until a friend said she had signed up for MWF and the TTh sessions. Brilliant!

I am sending in my poster for the cherry blossom contest today. Manuscripts are at publishers. Lot's of ideas. Fall Folio Feast art directors need follow up calls. My health is good again after Zithromax and I'm back to exercising. Feels great.

Productive artist seeks nap

So this three in the morning medicine thing is actually making me pretty productive. Last night I worked on games and mazes for the magazine market. Yesterday during the normal sunshine hours, I mailed out Our Regular Bus and packet of poems to Spider magazine. I also sent Pre-school Jumble out to Wordsong. I'm working through the to do list and that feels great. If I could just be assured a nice long nap after lunch I'd be okay.

I was listening to the writer's almanac with Garrison Keilor on NPR the other day when he mentioned Phillip Larkin a poet and librarian. " In 1966, he wrote in a letter, "I feel I am landed on my 45th year as if washed up on a rock, not knowing how I got here or ever had a chance of being anywhere else... Anyone would think I was Tolstoy, the value I put on writing, but it hasn't amounted to much."

I would never compare myself to Tolstoy but I definetly have the feeling sometimes that my efforts are all for naught. I am thankful for a husband who helps me support my habit. I suppose he believes in me. I know my parents do. I believe in me too. (Until the rejection cycle starts again.) I know that I am submitting in the right market. The rejections are getting kinder and friendlier. I'm just ready for the acceptance. Sometimes I wonder about taking an Institute of Children's Literature class for $600 or going to art school (which I do believe I will do at some point.) Last June, when I quit teaching, I thought I'd have at least one writing or illustration acceptance by the end of this year. That gives me until December. I sure hope I meet that goal. Perhaps I should give myself until my "45th" like Phillip Larkin.

Poster contest

I know I keep mentioning this Cherry Blossom Poster Contest but I haven't really said anything about the work I'm doing. (I would scan it in but it is too big and I'd have to stitch it together in Photoshop.) The background is a wash of sky blue to white to pale pink. I have cut delicate black and pink cherry blossoms from paper and they are floating on this background from upper left to lower right, some float off of the page. The bottom right hand quadrant is dominated by a black paper cut out image of the stone peace lantern that is lit for the festival. That is it.

I can not explain how I have pained over the placement of these darn flowers. Every day (it seems) I call my wonderful husband in and ask him what he thinks. He is pretty good about telling me honestly and I'm okay at thinking about what he says. However, after a three in the morning session with this thing yesterday, I pulled him into my studio and he started critiqueing. I about bit his nose off. I guess that when I really don't want to hear what anyone else says I'm ready to call it mine. I realized then that I was done.

Proud of my new realization I glued on all the pieces. Not so easy. The flowers are so lacey that they easily bend and buckle. There are a few dots of glue that I can't get off the background. Then I went to trim the edges and my square slipped. The error was fixable but I was so angry that after all my work I would do something so amateurish. I think I will put some foam tape on the back of my square so it won't slip.

At this point I just want to send the thing in. I do not think I'll win but it was a good experience. My parents are visiting this weekend and I'll show it to them before I package it up. I guess I'll have to listen to their critique. (smile)

A sitter and things to do

I have a sitter. I have a sitter. Yea!

Things have been crazy. On top of daily living, the end of summer camp, and a lobster festival it turns out that my strep throat never really went away (which I knew) and it came back full blast last Wednesday. The doc prescibed an antibiotic that I have to take every 6 hours. Turns out it is also the type of meds that when you take it you are suppose to stay upright for 30 minutes. Not realizing this, I started the meds at 5:30 pm and now have myself on an 11:30 and 5:30 schedule. Try not sleeping for a half an hour in the middle of the night and early morning. I'm so tired!

Good news on the Fall Folio Feast. Art Buyers are indeed signing up to come. We still need more so all you Art Buyers make your reservations. For more information see the website for the Maine Illustrators' Collective. We are getting the illustrator's postcards together now and those should go out in the next two weeks. I am cautiously optomistic.

So I have a sitter and I'm revisiting the things to do list.
Cherry Blossom Poster
T-shirt Design
Nice card to Lobster Fest guy to possibly show drawings for that poster.
Clean up studio and get some bookcases! (read stuff all over the floor)
website work
poems to Cricket
Our Regular Bus to Cricket
The Mystery of the Barn Light out to someone!
Oh yes, and a nap.