I have not had much to say in a while. My 90 day art challenge went well and I finished it. You can see my work on Instagram or on twitter both with #lineandwashwinter. The more removed from it I get, the more I think I will try it again next year. Just as it was coming to an end, however, the relief and sense of accomplishment was drowned out by Covid-19.

I normally travel quite a bit and have been grounded by the pandemic. More than grounded, I’ve been working at home. I am more focused and can get more done at home than the office which is good and I don’t have that back on the road itch I usually get after being in the local office so… good again. The problem is I feel like I’m getting too comfortable at home. I’m an introvert by nature. My position keeps my dealing-with-people skills pretty sharp, but this whole self isolation thing is a godsend.

I have not felt all that creative as of late. My wife is painting up a storm and she’s too has been working from home doing pretty great work on the interwebs. But I’ve been in a stagnant funk. I have managed only one accomplishment since I’ve been in isolation…. Sourdough.

A few years ago, we tried to cultivate a starter. I was operating under so many misconceptions like “Capturing wild yeast from the air” for one…. not a thing. The yeast is in the unbleached flour already. You can only believe half of what the internet tells you. Regardless, I’ve sifted through the piles of bologna and found some pretty great sources of information. Those led me to this beauty –

This loaf was baked today. It’s a super simple process and makes a wonderful grilled cheese or pulled pork sandwich. I plan to try it with ribs later.

My point is, isolation doesn’t have to kill a creative or industrious mind. You can do a lot with the tools on hand. This was just flour and water plus time. Survival is about just doing a thing. Doesn’t matter what that thing is, just do a thing and you’ll find some modicum of accomplishment.

I keep hearing people say things like “…to stay sane…” and I feel like that’s just people not able to either embrace boredom or find ways around it. Sanity, in this regard, I feel is a choice and you can choose to paint a picture, make a cat toy, bake a loaf of bread and let that activity bring you peace.