Progress

Eleven months ago I got started on my first children's illustration class. It was a summer class at SVA and I was so excited.  Two weeks into the month-long class I was waylaid by a major neurological illness that left my hands and legs weakened. You've heard me talk about this before: it's constantly in my thoughts. 

Each day my hands feel squiddy. It's the best way to put it. Be glad if you don't understand what that means; it's not the best way to hold a pencil. My left leg, on days when I am tired, feels wobbly and weak.  I am so easily exhausted even still.

I have taught and drawn my way through it. Even with a brand new class that requires tons of prep, I am getting it done. Proudly so. I've just started trying to rebuild my muscular strength as well.

Looking back over this past eleven months, I felt so unproductive. But I realized tonight I've done very well this past year given the circumstances. In addition to maintaining my art business (though I had to abandon art fairs due to the energy output), teaching full loads of classes, and fulfilling my housewifely duties (including a move!),  I have also made sketch dummies of two stories that I wrote, and made a polished dummy of another original story. Tonight, I finished my dummy for Lore & the Little Star, the first book I've written since my dissertation. This one is a bit shorter.