What's holding you back?

This week, I found a doggy daycare and my studio life changed.

One of the biggest challenges I have is finding enough time to paint and one of my biggest obstacles is my little dog, Riley.

He is not a dog who likes to sleep the day away. He wants constant company and stimulation. His worsening arthritis means he can't walk or play for long, but he still thinks he can, and he  gets bored easily.

He also doesn't like to spend time with me in the studio. No amount of toys or treats can entice him to do more than tolerate being in there. 

This is not such a problem in summer, when he enjoys pottering in the garden and snoozing in the sun, but in winter, it's a real nuisance. I find I can get two hours in the studio before he is pestering to leave, OR I can leave him alone in the house for about the same amount of time before my guilt kicks in.

But last week, I finally found a solution. A doggy daycare where he gets all the stimulation and company he needs, while I get long hours of uninterrupted studio time. He came home happy and exhausted (which is exactly how I felt about my studio days!).

From now on, he will go three days a week and those will be days I dedicate to studio work - admin and social media will wait for Mondays and Fridays.

So how was it? How did it feel to get all that time to paint?

It was wonderful. I moved my work forward more in a few days than I have in the last three months. When I went to Italy, I credited the retreat with helping my work, but now I think maybe it was just having the dedicated time. You can do so much when nothing else is calling for your attention.

So I added to some small collages. I worked on some large abstract paintings that had gone off the rails, and brought them back to life. And I got really stuck into some self-portraits that combine drawing, painting and collage.

Three disparate bodies of work that may or may not converge at some point. I genuinely have no idea and I love that sense of mystery and discovery.

Not everything went well. There were some genuine disasters, but even those were enjoyable, in the sense that they taught me something.

I'm excited to see what can happen if Riley continues to enjoy his time at daycare. 3 days a week is a lot!

I can't tell you how long I've been frustrated by this situation, and now it is solved so easily. I wish I had opened my eyes sooner! 

Are you like me? Is there something that keeps you from painting? And is it something you could actually solve for, if you just gave it some thought or got some help?

One of my self-portrait studies