I have posted some Creative Cartography before but I haven't described the process. One of the things I like so much about this art form is the process itself.
*Find the map... has to be a good paper, not slick.
*Find the picture within.
*Slowly develop the image.
​This one I call Snow Ape and it won second place ribbon in Keizer Arts Fin, Fur, Feathers show.

Back in the day.... Salem had this great coffeeshop right downtown called The CoffeeHouse Cafe.
It had a large backroom - all cleaned up after Jonathan aka Violette - cleaned it up. They did an incredible job making it a useable space for all manner of events. 
I started something called the Anti-Cute Bizarre Bazaar, and then Autumn came on board and made it better!
Well we're bringing that back!
One night only.
November 22, 2019 6:00pm to 10:00 pm at................ The Space!
Why not at Coffeehouse Cafe? Well, as aforementioned..."back in the day" CHC is gone now.
(go right ahead and mentally insert a sad face here)
But The Space said... "Sure! Let's do it! Great idea!"
If you're not sure who/what/where The Space is...
A West Salem, Oregon Vegan restaurant and Music Venue.
It's kinda awesome.
​

ok so I've been trying to come up with alternative ideas and choices, making different decisions, trying (and the key word there is "TRYING")  to create a revenue stream.

lllooooonnnggg story shortened:

BEFORE (years ago)
*had a part-time job
*had a studio 
*gave classes
*had an etsy store
*did lots of summer and holiday bazaars

LATER to NOW
*retired from part-time job and started watching grand-kids full-time
*couldn't afford studio
*only give an occassional class now and again - even those are often cancelled due to lack of interest?
*stopped selling on Etsy when they switched to allow all manners of sellers
instead of just  handmade goods by small entrepreneurs
*stopped doing bazaars and markets- all that lifting (tables, boxes of product, displays, etc.) was starting to get to me 

SOON (the different decisions part)
​*possibly look for another part-time job
*hope to get this website "out there" 
SO THAT I CAN (see below)
*give on-line classes
*sell my tee shirts
*sell product - necklaces and such
*get my art shipping

In other words- 
While I have great difficulty with these dang Ones and Zeroes....
I have Grey Girl Graphics with the Admirable and Esteemed Autumn Steam to help me with these damn struggles.

The Ones and The Zeroes.
When wrapped inside the case... The Phone, The Laptop, The Computer, The TV/DVD/Soundbar one is trying to set up...
Any of it. All of it. Confuses the hell out of me.
I remember being in 9th grade...15 yrs. old I think...hadn't done all that well in Mathematics but then I had to take Algebra.
I came in after school to work with the teacher a couple times a week. It confused me SO much!
They gave me a "passing" D for at least attempting to process the information to understand numbers and letters combined....x=some number that you have to figure out by first figuring out what y =...... I didn't understand it. AT ALL!
(I can tell you what WTF stands for though!!!)
And that's where I am with this website.

I am Unable to Complete Endeavors Needed for My Personal Representational Interpretations in Both the Visual and Words
Categories on Random Ramblings. (or any other section of Elsewise Art)

Outline first...

Fill in a bit with colored pencils...

More pencil. More colors.
​Then we smooth it out with some Gamsol.

More Layers. More Gamsol.
​Gamsol gives it a painterly opaque look.

Background color...darkened corners and edges.
​Add some white highlights.

Done.

How does it go...?
Fall down 7 times...Get up 8.
Yea.
That's me.
Often.
Encore.
Repeat.
Alla time.
Over and Over.
Again and Again.
Yep.
Soooo.....
Here we go again.
Gonna give myself a "Due Date".
Once a week....
Let's start the Try with Mondays.
SOMEthing. ANYthing. BLOG.
Then...when I'm in the habit...
​I can actually give the blogs some depth with pictures and wise words and all the things and stuff and such.

What do YOU do when you feel completely unmotivated?
I really am asking that question.
I realize very very few people read this... and even less than when I started because I fail to post anything new.
But that is my point.
I was stagnant.
Running in place.
Not MOVING.
Not Motivated.
For sosososo long.
I have been uninspired to create new work.
I am unable to gather energy to really DO anything.
​
When I worked with Grey Girl Graphics to get Elsewise going I was motivated by her energy,
but I don't seem to have any of my own.
So I really am asking anyone who wants to post in comments:
What do YOU do to get yourself motivated?

It is actually quite a juggling act- something with which I'm sure a great many of you are familiar---
I am really really really REALLY trying to manage my time better.
As in, MAKE TIME FOR ART!!
I have this awful habit of not being able to say "no" and so I take on far more than I can fit into a day.
One of these days- no I really really really mean it- one of these days I'll learn to say "no" and I won't 
feel guilty.
Really.
It's gonna happen.
​I mean it.

This lovely peacock was completed using only 4 different blues -colored pencils- on a small piece of black Stonehenge paper. I used a white gel pen for all those white highlights.
​Took me about 30 minutes for this little guy. Fun exercise.

A fairly large piece of Stonehenge Black- 16"x20". 
Total time to complete was mmaaayyybbeee hour and a half.
(This is a phone photo taken after it was framed. 
​Yea. I forgot to take a decent picture first.

This lovely black swan was the most complicated and the most fun and satisfying to complete.
I used the black of the paper for any black part of the swan- the feathers were minimal coloring using
various purples and blues but paying careful attention as to how the light hit them.
For the background I used 3 pencils plus white, sort of an abstract sunset.
It took 2 sessions of a couple hours each to complete- this is fairly large- 16"x20".

For the past year I have been living with and caring for my grandchildren.
Four of them (and their parents of course!) moved out from Virginia last year.
They rented a place and I lived with them for this last year.
But now they've purchased a home. They are moving. I am moving.
Moving is SUCH hard work! 
In 2016 I moved from my daughters home into my own place- lived with her for 6 years.
In 2017 I moved into my son and daughter-in-laws rental- lived here a year.
In 2018 I am moving back into my own place again.
I sure hope this is it for awhile!!
Anyway- a lot of furniture is gone. Not much remains. So we have to find ways to entertain ourselves.
TV and Tablets...a LOT!
But we have played outside for as long as I can contain and maintain our special needs little guy.
(It's a lot of work for gramma (me) twice the parents age and without a spouse or others to aid in the herding of the tribe.- Explaining not Complaining. well ok I kinda am)