I went undercover this summer and have just come back up for air. Sometimes in a creative life, you need to dive deep and not share any news for a while. It's what artists do—they put their art first (or first after the kids and the pets and the deadline).
Because life is filled with so many ways to entertain and educate yourself during every waking moment, I sometimes need to turn it off, all off. This is especially true when I need to finish a project without the pings of email and texts and enticing posts and that can't-stop-reading-it news.
This summer, I turned inward and devoted myself to the final revision of my memoir so you didn't hear from me much. I missed writing to you but I got my project done.
What project do you need to put first right now—before the calendar turns to 2017?
When I coach artists, I often hear about big plans that don't get done because finishing requires uninterrupted time to research, propose, plan and create. But you don't need a whole summer. You might just need two hours every morning for the next month to finish your project. Or a day out of the office to make a marketing plan so you know what to do when you get back to your desk. Take the time you need, so you can come back ferociously to the art you want to make.
Diana In The Autumn Wind by Paul Klee, 1921.