Oh Time, you abstract, ethereal, elusive phenomenon! Wayward brother of lovely dependable Space, whose boundaries one can both see and touch, where oh where do you go when I need you the most?!?
I mean, was there ever enough Time in my life to do all the things I want and need to do on a daily basis? Looking back at pre-Milo I honestly can't remember, but now I'm a full-time mother, part-time teacher, wanabe-illustrator, not to mention missing-in-action wife-type-thing*, crap-at-keeping-in-touch friend, and somebody's daughter/ sister**... well, this 'Time' thing is all but non-existent.
And with all the trials and pressures of modern/ adult life, it's hard to make Time to do something I really enjoy, and give 'that dream' of becoming a professional illustrator the chance it needs. Something has to give.
And so I've decided that since money, food, clothes and bills are over-rated anyway, I'm giving up a morning's private class each week in order to dedicate Time to ME and DRAWING and I am not, I repeat NOT going to fill such gloriously empty Time with:
washing the clothes and hanging them up
washing the dishes and tidying away the breakfast things
tidying away my son's toys
making the bed
doing the shopping
sweeping the floors
pre-cooking meals
We will live in a pig-sty and we will survive with a little less cash a week, because when I've finished getting my portfolio up to scratch and building a website etc, well then someone will come along, 'discover me' and love my work, and maybe maybe actually pay me for my precious Time.
And it will all be worth it in the end :)
In this morning's 'Me Time', I got a little closer to finishing a picture for a story book I have in my head.
I found to my joy that despite a year and a half of running around non-stop trying to multi-task a gazillion things all at once, I am still able to sit still and just immerse myself in pencil to paper.
And you know what? It actually felt as if for a moment, Time just stood still and let me do my thing.
*physically we're together every evening, but I don't think either of us have been mentally switched on since... well, since parenthood started!
**although they may have forgotten who I am by now
