Update, in brief
Dealing with massive amounts of self inflicted stress right now.
First, IlluxCon.
Normally I go to IlluxCon, fangirl Donata Giancola & Dan Dos Santos, and pretend to be somewhat social while surrounded by artists I vastly admire.
This year, though, I'm Taking Part (tm).
Specifically, I'll be in the Friday & Saturday night Showcase. Now the Showcase is not juried like the rest of the show, so the styles and skill tend to be a bit more diverse. On the other hand, it's IlluxCon and I'm in there with Linda Graves & Jody Lee. The skill bar was set pretty damn high by the main show and those who didn't fit due to number constraints get first shot at Showcase space.
This is the first time I'll be displaying any of my art to the IlluxCon notables. Despite going for years, I've never taken advantage of the opportunity to have Todd Lockwood or Michael Whelan critique my portfolio. I just never felt ready to do it. Every year, I look at my current collection of best pictures and decide I just don't have enough Good Pieces (tm) to waste a valuable critique slot (and really, they are valuable. They sell out, as it were, in less than 5 minutes every year once the web site to sign up goes live).
This year, though, when IlluxCon announced they'd being offering a weekend only juried space, I took a good dose of scotch and applied. I didn't make it in but they offered Showcase room instead. Feeling brave, I said yes. So now, having never displayed my work to any of my heroes, I'm going to have a nice big booth for two nights running, where the rest of the show shuts down and the Showcase artists are front & center for 4 hours each night.
Now we're down to the wire and I'm frantically printing out little hand out cards and wondering how much to take and how am I going to stay coherent and friendly for that much time. I'm not a people person and crowds exhaust me just by existing.
So that is this coming week.
Next week is dressage Regionals. If I'd realized they'd be back to back, I certainly wouldn't have signed up for IlluxCon this year. This year, the pogo pony and I are making a run for greatness. Okay, we're making a run at not coming in last at one of the biggest dressage shows in the country but running, we're doing it. I think we have a shot. We're in the top 75 for our level in the US, top 4 for arabians. We're solid on our Training level work and we've made a good reach into First level with a small amount of Second to keep things interesting. Next month, we're starting the 2014 show year (runs from October to October) down in Connecticut where we'll run all the First level tests. Barring mental breakdown on either of our parts, the pogo pony and I will be fine.
Except the timing, oh the timing. I should be riding every day. We should be drilling our transitions and geometry until we can both run it in our sleep. We should be FOCUSING!!! Instead, I'm stressing out about "does this print look grainy" and the pogo pony is exploring the wonders of fall allergy season. So we will NOT be properly prepared (for my peace of mind) and there's a slight chance she'll look like a zombie coming down the center line.
No pressure.
First, IlluxCon.
Normally I go to IlluxCon, fangirl Donata Giancola & Dan Dos Santos, and pretend to be somewhat social while surrounded by artists I vastly admire.
This year, though, I'm Taking Part (tm).
Specifically, I'll be in the Friday & Saturday night Showcase. Now the Showcase is not juried like the rest of the show, so the styles and skill tend to be a bit more diverse. On the other hand, it's IlluxCon and I'm in there with Linda Graves & Jody Lee. The skill bar was set pretty damn high by the main show and those who didn't fit due to number constraints get first shot at Showcase space.
This is the first time I'll be displaying any of my art to the IlluxCon notables. Despite going for years, I've never taken advantage of the opportunity to have Todd Lockwood or Michael Whelan critique my portfolio. I just never felt ready to do it. Every year, I look at my current collection of best pictures and decide I just don't have enough Good Pieces (tm) to waste a valuable critique slot (and really, they are valuable. They sell out, as it were, in less than 5 minutes every year once the web site to sign up goes live).
This year, though, when IlluxCon announced they'd being offering a weekend only juried space, I took a good dose of scotch and applied. I didn't make it in but they offered Showcase room instead. Feeling brave, I said yes. So now, having never displayed my work to any of my heroes, I'm going to have a nice big booth for two nights running, where the rest of the show shuts down and the Showcase artists are front & center for 4 hours each night.
Now we're down to the wire and I'm frantically printing out little hand out cards and wondering how much to take and how am I going to stay coherent and friendly for that much time. I'm not a people person and crowds exhaust me just by existing.
So that is this coming week.
Next week is dressage Regionals. If I'd realized they'd be back to back, I certainly wouldn't have signed up for IlluxCon this year. This year, the pogo pony and I are making a run for greatness. Okay, we're making a run at not coming in last at one of the biggest dressage shows in the country but running, we're doing it. I think we have a shot. We're in the top 75 for our level in the US, top 4 for arabians. We're solid on our Training level work and we've made a good reach into First level with a small amount of Second to keep things interesting. Next month, we're starting the 2014 show year (runs from October to October) down in Connecticut where we'll run all the First level tests. Barring mental breakdown on either of our parts, the pogo pony and I will be fine.
Except the timing, oh the timing. I should be riding every day. We should be drilling our transitions and geometry until we can both run it in our sleep. We should be FOCUSING!!! Instead, I'm stressing out about "does this print look grainy" and the pogo pony is exploring the wonders of fall allergy season. So we will NOT be properly prepared (for my peace of mind) and there's a slight chance she'll look like a zombie coming down the center line.
No pressure.