'Bear' approves of his new spot, right next to my chair

Yesterday I went up to Manchester and spent 3.5 hours with the lovely Gracey getting my dreads sorted out. Usually I can fully manage my hair myself, but I’ve been so busy I’ve been neglecting them and the painin my right hand has been too much to work all day and then spend time doing my own hair. The worse my wrists get the longer it takes and harder it gets for me to do my own maintenance, which resulted in a lot of mangling at the roots that I couldn’t sort out myself. They feel so much better now, albeit stuck out at weird angles(!) and I’ll be able to manage them myself again.

I’ve spent last night and today re-organising my studio/lounge.  Again. Yes, I know I did it over Christmas but that was more a mini-reorganisation of my desk. This time I moved everything. And I do mean everything, with the exception of 2 bookcases I’m saving for a whole other day.

The problem was I had my desk along the wall next to the door. This was opposite the window (which meant I couldn’t get any natural light in my videos due to shadows) and really drafty. I’ve been round the house with a candle trying to pinpoint that draft and I have no idea where it was coming from, but it meant that after an hour at my desk the whole of my right side was frozen. My wrists simply can’t handle the cold, so my right wrist permanently hurt and I had to start taking painkillers a lot more than I’m comfortable with i.e. outside of times I have a migraine.

Prompted by a new class that needs daylight, no creative urge whatsoever despite having work to do and this draft issue that I simply could not handle a minute longer, I moved everything. My desk is now by the window where I can get some natural light on my work and am out of the draft whilst still being able to watch TV. The sofa is behind the door, also out of the draft but in line with the TV (I’m not a huge TV addict, but I like to watch films to relax or while I art journal).An added bonus of the move is that right next to me is the left side of the sofa which is Bear’s favourite spot. I no longer have to disturb him by wheeling across the room to pet him.

I have no pictures because I’m on a tight schedule and couldn’t devote more than one evening and a day to it, so I need to clean thoroughly. It’s amazing how much crap can accumulate behind things like bookcases and computers. I won’t even tell you about some of the stuff I’ve found that’s fallen off the back of the desk in just 18 months.

Today, on Twitter, after mentioning this humongous undertaking just a few times(!), Sam said I was a ‘very hard working artist’. I told her I had to be – it’s what pays the rent. Here’s what she said back…

May be so, but you’re very good at what you do, and I feel happiness/ joy in the Spirit of your work! @samsart5

That is possibly the nicest thing anyone has said to me since I started to turn this this art-making thing I do into a viable business venture. That and the warm corner I now have to make art in (complete with kitty), have totally made my day.