Never Despair

My final deciding factor whether or not to sell at shows etc versus the very limited online selling that I currently do was very simple and it boiled down to this:

Reality: Some days I can not get out of bed at all for anything but using the bathroom and that is an agonizing, exhausting and perilous journey all its own.

I've been struggling trying to get our household in order and dealing with our recent losses and I get overwhelmed and exhausted easily. This is the time of year I usually feel my best, but not so this year. It's been pretty rough.

My bed is in a little alcove type area of our living room and while trying to set up the entire area I have been struggling with privacy issues with visitors versus me being able to watch tv when I'm stuck in bed. At first I was going to situate the tv so that I would need to watch it from the general seating area instead of my bed but reality check happened just last week: some days that is just too dang far for me to try to do. My bed is in the living room for a reason and it's not just space issues.

I can not get out of bed for myself, my kids, my love. I know this from hard learned experience. I won't be able to get out of bed for my art. This is reality. So I adapt, it's the only answer for me, I will keep trying the best that I can at the current time. I've done all kinds of arts and crafts in my bed and fallen asleep in the middle of it too. Inks and paint are very rarely used on "bed days" as you can imagine why. I do these things when I can't get out and garden or work in my yard or in the shop. I currently have a hanging pot rack project in the shop that I've been working on for over a year. During a good week or even a mediocre cruddy week it should have taken me 3 days maximum for the large work and the smaller fine work another 4 days or so (but could be done sitting down, easy, working here and there, now and then, even in the bed LOL). Yep, the project pieces are still sitting the in box waiting for me to get to it and they will be sitting there until I have some good days. It's just the way it is anymore. I can't predict when those good days will be and I have to just go with the flow. The only thing predictable about my routine is that it is dependent upon my condition at the time...which is is only predictable in it's unpredictability and *THAT* is not conducive to any kind of brick and mortar selling/shows/consignments etc or running a full time business.

Dreams die hard sometimes though and that is why I have not fully given up selling online. I put all the money I make online (which isn't much since I'm not listing much) back into art supplies and listing fees etc. which simplifies things in the income/tax department too. The fact that I am trying helps me get through it all, it means I'm still caring and not giving up.... If I have any kind of a motto or creed that I live by or even simple words of advice to anyone in a similar situation it's "keep on adapting, keep on trying and Nil Desperandum...Never Despair!"