Today was the first day of our actual residency. We woke up, got ourselves as together as we could, and walked the nearly two miles to the studio, where we spent the day working with a lovely young model who unfortunately could not hold a pose for more than nearly a minute. This proved to be extremely frustrating for everyone, to the point where one of the younger artists began to cry from the strain of being chastised for correcting the girl's movement, which is the natural thing to do. When it came to me, I was so tired from the continuing jet lag, my allergies had me nearly blind and deaf (my ears were clogged) that I just began to laugh at the strain of it. What else is there to do? Either laugh or cry, and laughing is how I usually deal with something that is intensely stressing....yes, I'm the idiot that might start laughing at a funeral. This was a very stressing day in that everyone is somewhat competitive, and we are all seeing where we "kind of stand" so that is very taxing to people, especially the younger ones, and yes, even for me. It's like getting put on the spot to perform....even when you are great at something on your own, things change when there is a demand to produce, and produce well, in front of a crowd. It is a little nerve-wracking.
So, when the day was done at 4 p.m., Natalia and I (fellow artist and very nice gal from Ukraine now residing in Houston) decided to walk to the market and buy some supplies, since eating out every day, no matter how cheaply, is ultimately not good for you, or your wallet. We ended up getting a little lost, so by the time we slogged our bags of groceries home, we probably walked about 4 miles instead of two, and we were exhausted from the cumulative effects of the weekend and the intensity of the day. We made a nice chicken and pasta dinner, had a glass of local wine, and headed off to our rooms to Skype with our immediates, and, off to bed.
The funny thing is that most of the artists on this residency have done what I did, which is opted out of bringing their cellphones, due to the costs of overseas calls. This is literally the first residency that I have seen this, and I was kind of surprised, since I thought the economy was supposed to be so good! Each one said the same thing: "I just can't afford it." So, there it is!
So, when the day was done at 4 p.m., Natalia and I (fellow artist and very nice gal from Ukraine now residing in Houston) decided to walk to the market and buy some supplies, since eating out every day, no matter how cheaply, is ultimately not good for you, or your wallet. We ended up getting a little lost, so by the time we slogged our bags of groceries home, we probably walked about 4 miles instead of two, and we were exhausted from the cumulative effects of the weekend and the intensity of the day. We made a nice chicken and pasta dinner, had a glass of local wine, and headed off to our rooms to Skype with our immediates, and, off to bed.
The funny thing is that most of the artists on this residency have done what I did, which is opted out of bringing their cellphones, due to the costs of overseas calls. This is literally the first residency that I have seen this, and I was kind of surprised, since I thought the economy was supposed to be so good! Each one said the same thing: "I just can't afford it." So, there it is!
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