It can be hard to judge progress can’t it?
But there is indeed progress.
Every now and then, as well as keeping an eye on the project budget, I also take a look at the original time plan. Now of course, this year, that has had to be flexible. There are things, such as being in a small room with another person for a whole day, that have been impossible… so the plan has had to be nudged. But even allowing for these nudges, things have been done. I’ve been able to tick down the chart. Some of the proposed activity for May have been done, while some of the things for February and March cannot yet. But all in all, a satisfying move forward. Of course, just because I’ve been in the studio doing things, it doesn’t mean that I’m getting anywhere!
Some days have felt like a bit of a slog. Some days I’ve felt like a bit of a slug.
I’m not at the top of the hill exactly, but I have found a place at which to stop slogging, turn around and check out the view.
That bundle of sounds and half baked ideas have now started to resemble a body… it might be a flabby amorphous body, but a body nonetheless! I can cast an eye and an ear over what I (we) have produced and can see it’s shape. I can also see a few outliers, which I am happy to let fall by the wayside. I’m grateful to them, they got me here, but now I can see that some of the drawing ideas, and some of the sound ideas, are now surplus to requirements and can be put away (in a safe place, because you never know, right?)
I have a series of drawings ready for a final decision to be dry-mounted… My April exhibition has been put back to July, so I’m not getting them mounted yet, because I might change my mind about which to show… three months is a long time.
I also have three songs within a couple of tweaks of being able to venture out in a small way to a few trusted listeners for a sort of peer review.
I think this is good timing, because then, by the time MC and I can get into the recording studio together, the weather will be better, the days longer, and that body of songs will be a bit leaner… through that process of feedback, review, and parking for a while to then come back with fresh ears.
I have a small shiver of excitement about releasing Elena Thomas songs into the world…
