sequestered

The photos I've been sharing recently make it seem like my life is full of galavanting in the woods, traipsing around farms with cows, and spending my fall picking apples and stuffing my face with baked goods.

How quaint.

Also, such a lie.

The truth is, I've been sequestered in my studio lately. I haven't been leaving the house or even going outside most days. I'm living a nocturnal lifestyle - locking myself in my studio until 3 in the morning, painting, drawing, trying to figure it all out. I've got a lot in the works for Funnelcloud Studio, and I'm already prepping for the holidays. I'd like to have a completely new series of prints available in November. I'm the type who gets completely stressed out in preparation for Christmas and I'm already feeling overwhelmed. Owning a small business only exacerbates the holiday stress problem. And it's only October!

I'm trying to work my butt off now so I can relax come December (ha!), but I already feel behind. My house is a disaster. I have half-finished projects and gifts that were never finished from last Christmas. I have a three-page list of things I'd like to write about. I have a pile of e-books from the library that are going to expire before I have the chance to read them. There's food rotting in the fridge. I've already cut a few projects out that I just don't have the time for. I hate that. I can't keep up with blogging or reading blogs, e-mails, phone calls, twitter, friends...

So, I'm sorry for being a jerk - especially during a season that is supposed to be all about family and friends.

I'll continue to share pictures and words when I can, but I don't see any respite in my workload until the end of the year. So ironic, considering I hated the end of the year stress when I was in the workforce and now that I'm self-employed...it's a hundred times worse! (Not really - I'd still rather be working in my home studio at 3 am than in a beige cubicle at 3 am.)

So I'm looking to January 1st as the day I'll take a big sigh of relief. Scratch that - January 2nd. I'm planning to be recovering from a hangover on New Year's Day...