Is that not the best advice, ever?

Make good art

Last week was such a doozy for me. My husband lost a grandmother and I lost a young cousin in his teens—so my daughter’s going to be going to two funerals only five days apart. I also passed a kidney stone, hit a squirrel in the car, had more work than I’m accustomed to from every client I have (which would be delightful any other week!) and was an emotional wreck from a million other things, too. You know how those weeks are. You cling to home, wanting to crawl into a hole and die, but you still struggle to do what’s necessary because you’re an adult and it’s your job.

On Friday, I was so depressed and feeling so yucky in general that I couldn’t help but cry. Wood Sprite says, “Why don’t we make some art?”

Of course! Why didn’t I think of that? Isn’t that what Neil Gaiman says to do when you’re feeling bleh and nothing else seems to be going right—make good art? So we made these really cool window cling stained glass pictures with paint, glue, Saran wrap and wax paper. The idea came from
Art Around the World: Loo-Loo, Boo, and More Art You Can Do by Denis Roche—I really recommend it. They’re in Wood Sprite’s window.

Today the same thing happened, but it didn’t help as much after knowing about my young cousin. I blew up even after we made two straw squids and two glue stick spaceships (for Artzooka Day). Tension is still so thick around here you can cut it, and I’m not really sure how to remedy it. Making art sure does help, though.

How do you ease the tension or stress in your home?

Photo courtesy of Sara S. and Wood Sprite

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