Whirlwinds

Forgive me, muses, it's been two months since my last post.

So much has been going on.  I've been arting and fretting and pushing and crashing a lot!

On the art front, since my last post I've submitted to two calls to artists for POSSIBLE inclusion in books:

Lunaria Financial's Wild Money:  http://www.lunariafinancial.com/

and Seth Apter's The Pulse from my favorite blog The Altered Page at  http://thealteredpage.blogspot.com/

Getting some work in this book would be a total dream come true, but just creating the pieces to submit was reward enough.  Here are some sneak peaks, can't show the full images until the editors have made their final choices.

Took the Strathmore Art Journal Workshop Online: http://www.strathmoreartist.com/vjworkshop2011.html

made jewelry for my niece for her birthday (sorry, no pics of the jewelry):

tried out another zentangle:

and made a project for Artellaland's Mystery Mentor first annual trade!  http://www.artellaland.com/MysteryMentorSignup.html

Whew!  And all of this in between naps.

On the fretting front, I have been hanging on to my temporary housing arrangements by my fingernails.  I've been pushing and crashing about how to have an income through this transition time with the disability claim pending.

What an interesting couple of months of uncertainty and the joy of creating.

I received two major rejection letters this month.  The first one was very exciting!  I received the kindest letter from the Creativity in Motion Grant committee that I was not chosen this year, but to please submit again in the future.  It's my first official artistic reject letter, and I couldn't be happier.  This letter is evidence that I put myself out there in a bold way that I wouldn't have believed five years ago.  So here's a big pat on the back for me.  For any of you who have not applied for grants, I highly recommend it.  The process of writing a grant is a wonderful clarification, focus, and motivation tool.  Even if you don't submit it, it is worth the time.

The second reject letter was from...drumroll please...the Social Security Administration.  According to them, because I've had responsible jobs and a high level of education and had the ability to fill out the claim and drive myself to the appointment, I couldn't possibly be unable to work.  I should be able to work at least six hours a day including walking and standing.  I can't even stay awake for six hours in a row and get dizzy if I stand up for more than a few minutes.  A very good attorney advised me that I won't be able to successfully appeal without a doctor signing a letter saying that the various health conditions I have keep me from working, and I no longer have health insurance or any way to pay a doctor, and the doctors I did go to in the last few years all have policies against writing disability letters.  Nice!  I was very depressed about this for a few days.  But there is a silver lining!  It's time for me to set up an Etsy shop and start making some money doing what I love.  It's a job I can do in between naps and nothing makes me happier than making stuff.

Today, I had a kismet miracle.  I am taking SARK's Dream Boogie teleclass, something I can do while laying down.  We break into small groups each class and practice using the tools we are learning.  At tonight's class, there was a woman in my group who does work related to the non-profit resource center I have been needing to check out for support to help me through this whole health ordeal.  She said the perfect words to me that helped me drop my fears about it.  She simply said, "I can assure you that it is a place of hope."

So for everyone out there dealing with huge life transitions, I salute you, and I know we will get through this.