I am really excited to take my first real vacation probably since Christmas. I have been working really hard this year, finishing up my job at Gustavus, painting and getting ready for my solo show, organizing shows for the summer and fall, and recently starting a new job and moving Beck home. I've had days off, but those have been taken up with entertaining guests, attending concerts and shows, and driving from place to place.
This weekend I will be driving up to a friend's cabin in northern Wisconsin, away from everyone and everything and with no schedule. I plan to catch up on my reading: I have the Between the World and Me by Ta-nehisi Coates to finish, along with a Barbara Kingsolver novel and a John Berger book. I also plan to do a lot of writing. I have a lot of decisions to make about projects this summer. Usually I figure out my ideas through the process of painting, but this summer my time will be so limited that it is important to have a clear goal before I start. Also it's time to get a really solid handle on what my art is doing, and what I want it to do in the future as I get ready to apply to MFA programs.
I just have two more hours at the office standing between me and freedom!