I Like Sure Things

I like sure things. I'm almost positive most people do, too. The difference between me and most people is that I don't even like to TALK about big news until I'm sure it's happening. I'd much rather deal with people being surprised or even annoyed that I didn't tell them sooner than having to go back and tell people that something is no longer happening. This goes for jobs, art shows, relationships...everything. All this to say, I have some big news and I'm ready to share it since it's a sure thing (well as long as I hold up my end of things).

 Last October, I started the process of applying for a house through Habitat for Humanity. Last week, I signed my partner family agreement. Over the course of 12-18 months, I'll be putting in volunteer hours as sweat equity in lieu of a down payment and building my own house! I'm so grateful to Tyler St Jean for giving me the inside scoop on this process and encouraging me to apply. It was a little stressful initially and I was scared to tell anybody in case anything fell through.

 I had my first volunteer shift today in the Habitat ReStore. I'm so excited to be on this journey. I especially can't wait to go on site and learn what goes into building a house! Part of what was so enticing about working with Habitat is the fact that I'll know exactly what has gone into my house; if anything goes wrong in the future, I'll be better equipped to deal with it. While it's a great program in general, it also gives homeowners the tools to take care of themselves in the future.

 So what does this all mean? I'll be absorbed in this process for this year at least. You'll be seeing posts about me using more power tools, updates about the house, etc. I'll occasionally be reaching out for help with volunteer hours (I can bring up to 3 people with me and your hours would count towards my total!)

I think it's also time to admit that I just don't make as much art as I used to. I've fallen into a rhythm where it's just not as urgent for me right now and I'm trying to be ok with that. That said, I did have a commission for the holiday season but because I wasn't SURE that it had been given to the recipient yet, I haven't shared it. I received an excited text today that it was in its owners' hands!

I was approached about painting Swan River Yoga's midcity location as a gift to a couple who were married in the space. I chose to do a different angle than before to change it up a bit. It was stressful at first, I didn't realize how rusty I had gotten. Painting should be like riding a bike, right? (Except I'm terrible at riding bikes) Even though it took a little longer than expected, I think it came out even better than its counterparts. What do you think?