On Wednesday, June 26th, after what seemed like 17 months of waddling around and waiting for my much deserved time off, I delivered my beautiful son, Henry Scott Norman. He is beautiful, perfect, and a slew of other adoring adjectives.. I'm obviously smitten and biased. I still have trouble wrapping my head around the fact that this miracle is mine. Needless to say, however, I had NO idea what I was really getting myself into.
I really underestimated how much time I would have to accomplish anything that I had planned to accomplish during my 'time off.' This is my first child, so I had no comprehension of what goes into caring and bonding with an infant. I type this as he squirms and squeaks in his sleeper while audibly filling his diaper... I will be right back.
One of the goals that I wanted to accomplish while on leave was to get back into my art. It has been inadequately absent in my life for the past year at least; my own fault as everything else just seemed more important or would get in the way (so I told myself). In that time I think I over-romanticized working on art in my mind, subconsciously thinking that I needed to have an allotted time-frame and all chores done before I should create anything. And then there were other priorities that I needed to accomplish with any free time available. It has gotten where I don't have any hobbies, so to speak. I work, come home, cook, clean/do laundry, and hang out on the couch with my husband, playing solitaire on my phone, watching TV, or reading. Excuses, excuses.
I feel that the best way for me to get back to where I was, would be to start working in my sketchbook regularly again. I want to get back to doing a little something daily, get in the habit of doing this for me, and build up to taking on projects again. For additional motivation, I signed up to participate in a friend from school's summer sketchbook challenge: a challenge to sketch every day and fill up a sketchbook over the summer. Unfortunately I have been negligent, though now it hasn't been unreasonable with the new babe in my life in recent weeks, but I do want to get myself in gear.
Anyway, I got started sketching again right before delivery, and I've sketched a little after (after 2 1/2 weeks of nothing again). OH MY. Boy, have I LOST it. I obviously need to work on my drawing skills again... You wouldn't think I went to art school at all... unless it was for some abstract focus. Not good abstract, either. As much as I loathed to post the sketches, it is part of the challenge I'm doing, so posted they are. I won't even say to go easy on me... because it's my own doing.
