30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day Six

"Sunset at Ballybunion" - ink on aquabord, 6" x 6"

"Fire and Ice" - acrylic and ink on aquabord, 6" x 6"

There is something about the thirty paintings in thirty days challenge that gives me insomnia.   It is the only time of year when I paint in the early hours of the morning, before any human should be awake.  Any other time I am a complete sleep hoarder, early to bed and nine hours a night or I am a zombie.  But here I am, 3 am, in the studio wondering why oh why I am doing this again?  On the bright side, by 6 am I had painted, shipped the prior day's art sales, paid bills, updated my calendar and made breakfast.  

Of course this got me to wondering...I've been out of touch with the cycles of the world around me, wrapped up in my own travel and adventure.  Yesterday was discombobulated, with every little thing more difficult than necessary.  Even my husband commented on how odd the day seemed.  So when I looked up "Mercury Retrograde 2016", it was no surprise (and a huge AHA!) that it began last week and is now in full swing.  That explains quite a few things.

The retrograde is the time to re-think, re-plan, re-assess, re-organize.  It isn't the time to start anything new.  Which might explain why some of the experimental art projects I've been playing with are not going so well.  Instead of scrapping them, I will spend the month planning, gathering supplies and laying out the steps.  I've also begun to plan the installation of my studio make-over, but have moved the date to October.  I will continue de-cluttering and re-painting the room until then.

And as I run through this concept of working on things already in place, planning for new things, organizing what I already have, I feel a huge sense of relief.  There is something wonderful about taking the time to sort out what's already present in our daily lives instead of chasing the new stuff.  

If I hadn't had insomnia and been seeking answers, I wouldn't have known it was time to re-think my approach to this month.  Hmmmm.  Apparently the universe is actually working with me by waking me up this morning, and was not actually slapping me in the face.  A little perspective shift and the whole day looks rosy.  Thanks, universe!

To read more about the current mercury retrograde, click here.