February 15, 2011

february blahs

I've been struggling with the kind of self-defeating thinking lately that happens for me every February. I have particularly vivid memories of hitting this emotional trough every year at university. Most of the year I can make myself ignore the kind of self-serving, negative or passive-aggressive stuff that people feel compelled to dole out (and it seems especially prevalent on-line right now), but not in February.

The good news is that though I seem to be stuck on a treadmill of doing drawings in a sort of neutral brain zone (when I should be painting), I am getting a lot of satisfaction out of just showing up at the drawing board every day. And then I hear or read something that strikes a chord and I know I'm okay. Today, while doing the errands-for-the-old-folks run to the North Shore, I heard Jian Ghomeshi interviewing Gang of Four on Q. Though there was nothing shout-out-loud revolutionary about what they had to say (some of it was pretty muddled and rambling actually) there was a lot of insight for those working in the creative trenches. (It should be posted on the Q site here tomorrow.)

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

You've been an' gone an' done it again - produced something I could easily hang on my wall.
The starkness of the barbed wire against the all-forgiving snow-fantastic!

Graham Kerr(the Galloping Gourmet of the 60s) advocated February as the only month to de-tox (diet-wise)as it's the shortest and he saw no reason to prolong the agony!

andrea said...

Di: I remember watching (OK, flipping past -- I was a kid) Graham Kerr with his ever-present glass of wine on TV in the '70s. And I thought this drawing, with the unforgiving barbed wire, was a good illustration of my current mood so I'm so glad you 'got' it! (You always do.)

Tracey said...

Yes I wish I could produce such great art when in a rut, hell I would try to get in ruts more often ;)

Anonymous said...

You too. Shall we compare notes? Or, as Leonard Cohen would have it, we could compare mythologies. I shall go no further with that. Despite your blahs, however, Ms. A, you are turning out some wonderful offerings. I'm actually not creating too badly myself at the moment. Lets me escape the Februaryness of the season.

andrea said...

Tracey: You flatter me. (I think. Or maybe I'm misreading and just hope? :)

Ian: Funny how that works, isn't it? As long as you don't let the meanies win the fruits can be quite sweet.

sonya said...

I like it muchly Andrea. Well done. February isn't such a bad month - at least the days are getting longer and spring is on the horizon. There. I've done my little "glass half full schtick"! And I think your latest work is the bee's knees! Kudos friend!

INDIGENE said...

Your work is beautiful and I love your symbolism plays a soprano beat! Now all that aside, you have an amazing blog and I adore your writing style and art! :)

Peyton said...

Ah so it's not just me then! That's some comfort I guess! Keep working!

andrea said...

Sonya: Maybe I just need a dose of Sonya! :)

Indigene: You are very sweet ~ and have excellent taste! :)

Peter: yes boss.

Tracey said...

you read right, definitely a kudos, when I am in a rut I don't even make it into the studio ;)

Hayden said...

you know, I glanced at that barbed wire and scrolled right down to the crow. left it in my half-consciousness until compelled by comments to go look again.

yep, the emotion is strong there, and I don't want it, so will scroll on, LOL, for fear of catching it! Fall is worst for me. I can feel the dark creeping up on me by August. By Jan/Feb I'm worn down, but it's getting so much lighter that I know hope has returned.

(the letters were "unfuzzled". Yep, by Feb I'm getting unfuzzled.)

Anonymous said...

Weird, that's twice in 24 hours I've seen Gian Ghomeshi's name in an unexpected place. I did not even realize who he was when I saw him for the first time last year in Toronto the day I attended the solidarity march for the people of Iran.

I know what you mean about February. For me, it used to always be March. This is my first winter to make it through without meds or TrueHope Empower Plus. I did use my full-spectrum light on a timer by my bed, though.

I really like this drawing.