The little art studio built on a mountain of dreams and rivers of vision.

It has been a while since I got my hands and worn clothing dusty with aromatic sawdust and carving scraps from creating sculpture. Taking a break from creating visual art is sometimes needed. To regroup and replenish the artistic soul can seem silly to some, I need it on occasion. 

Sometimes it is best to unplug and give it a break. Some would call that being lazy, especially here in the Midwest. But we are not planting corn or cutting firewood. Sometimes you need to wait until the creativity frame of mind returns. 

I stayed away from the Instagram posting regiment for a month or so. But I'm slowly getting back into the social media thing.

That doesn't mean I've been lazy. I have been spending time working in the studio area. Fixing it up and making it look nice and also looking at the big picture for me in creativity. 

Is there a special potion to overcome creative inspiration downturns? Or maybe a secret for remarkable improvement that inspires? If there is, it would probably make a fortune. 

Self-kindness works for me. Enjoying a cappuccino or macchiato out of our espresso machine and watching nature outside our big picture window. (Ride high in the saddle Cappuccino Cowboy)

I am starting a new art project idea.

This week I started working on a piece that I believe is White Ash, Mesquite, or maybe Ironwood. I know what you are thinking. What kind of woodsman is this guy?

 But the story goes as, 

 I was given this wood hunk from a good friend of mine that lives in the Southwest a couple of years ago. And it just has been sitting on the shelf looking at me and saying,

 "what gives?"

So this past week, I have started on the piece. Bark, sawdust, and wood chips were flying out the back like a Rhino on a high fiber diet. (I learned about the habits of the Rhino from an episode of Dual Survival) 

It felt wonderful to be out there again and creating.

The weather has been incredible by Northern Wisconsin standards for the middle of December. Today it was a high of near 50 degrees with full sun. And this is a big welcome to me because I do much of the dirty and dusty work outside when creating sculpture. 

I still haven't determined the species of wood I'm currently working with, but it does have a beautiful grain pattern. There will be some Turquoise stone inlay work on it as well. 

This piece will look very nice with a hand-rubbed finish. Once I have it finished, I will post an update complete with studio pictures.  

Please share your thoughts on what fires up the inspiration after a dry spell.