A month

On my studio table.

After several weeks of school holidays and housewifery, there is a pleasant gap in the calendar.

The three children return to school. One month gap. I return to university.

The plan is to spend as much of my time as possible in my studio this month, before returning for my second and final year of my Masters of Visual Arts degree.

While tackling my Masters project I will also have an artist residency, a large solo show, a couple of group shows and a weekly podcast. I can’t yet decide if I have bitten off more than I can chew, but I suspect I may have.

Plans never include people getting sick, something breaking, or a multitude of other difficulties. I need to avoid the news. Take breaks. Make 25 birds. Teach workshops.

It’s hot, my mind wanders, laundry beckons, school pick up looms.

I remind myself of my mantra - show up and do the work.

How much can one do in a month?