I’m back from our wonderful trip to NYC and full-to-the-top with energizing artistic vibes. We spent days and days just soaking up the architecture, art, and all manners of ingenious solutions to life in the big city. (Traffic a bitch? Just deliver your Chinese take-out in a bike basket.) We also ingested a goodly dose of authentic bagels, street vendor pretzels, and mama’s cannolli. Some of our experiences were downright religious — I was moved to tears more than once by the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and dear little Eden broke down half way through the Lion King because of the shear beauty and pageantry of it all. As Eden says:

“New York is not the place to go to be civilized. But if you want to learn to be wild, and to be your true wild self, New York is a very good place to be.”

Now that school is in session and our vacation is over, I’m eager to start my new work schedule of actually producing every day. Last night I wrote this at the top of my journal page for today:

Guess what Rachelle? Beginning today, you are a professional artist! You will be in the process of making art every day starting at 10am, regardless of household needs and urgencies.

This will, of course, be easier to do if I can find work space outside of the house – but for now I’m exerting my will and ignoring the unmade beds and stacks of laundry for the sake of writing, collage, and general creative stuff. I feel like after all the false starts I’ve tried through pregnancy, childrearing, community planting, and migraines, I’ve finally found a place that will really allow me to work as a writer and artist.

Today’s tasks? This post, a collage piece for Ramadan, and possibly a post under the “practices” category on the Monkfish Abbey homepage.

Hi ho, hi ho!