Well it is break for me and time for change. After 27 years working as a Technical Director is coming to a close. It is part of my life in the theatre. I have juggled inbetween, designing, technical director (td), directing and acting. As of last week I decided to finish my work as a td. Why? TD's are problem solvers, the go to guys and girls when things are not working out as planned, the ones you come to with a slurry of issues and troubles. After 27 years, I think I need to retire from problem solving. The last year with our new producer has been difficult. Lots and lots of problems coming back to back and it has been my door that people have been coming to.
I enjoy the rest of the craft/art but there is a limit to being the one to solve the drama behind the drama. I want to enjoy other aspects of my life, like family for one (my eldest daughter left the Air Force Monday), my pursuit of 2-D art here on DA, my photography, and my dogs. I'll still design lighting and scenery but to a lesser extent and continue with my directing.
I also seem slower on DA in my manipulations. I think it is because of my hetic schedule of recent months and the fact that I am learning to walk away from a project and go back to it later. Last year I was working on a new project every day and partly because I was teaching myself how to operate PS7. I feel much more confident with what I am doing on ps7 and I know that better quality work doesn't come from rushing. I am also slowing down to focus on different areas where I know I need to be more accomplished.
I have also been slowing down on contests. I was really enjoying entering the contests and learned a great deal from observing other artists. At the same time there can be a lot of 'emo' involved with some contests ('I'm better than you.' or 'My contest; supplicate to me.'). I entered one contest and the host just decided to stop before the deadline and eventually just pretended as if they didn't have the contest in the first place. Another decided to extend the deadline because they didn't have as many entries as they wanted. Some of the emo comes from the hosts themselves and they wonder why there aren't so many entries.
I guess I just decided that many contests are magnets for people issues and I should be more careful whose party I join. Still there are still some people who offer a contest and I answer the call. So what is my message to everbody at this time of the year? Change is good. Change can fix problems. Change can make life better. Change is not failure. Art, like life, is everchanging. I don't want to hold onto one moment just because it was good at one time. The moment passed and things changed; I want to pass forward, onward and upward as well.
Happy Spring everybody