January almost over... and great plans ahead

How quickly does a month go. I feel that 2010 went so quickly and when I reflect back onto growth, I guess I could say that I conquered a lot of fears about my drawing ability. I got Julia Cameron's book "The Artists Way" but after reading the second chapter about Road Blocks OR People who sabbotage your creative ability, I decided that the only sabboteurs or blocks were those within my own head. So I worked pretty zealously sketching, painting and planning. I filled about 8 sketch books, and displayed many of the better works on my flickr site. One thing I realised was that whilst I am working full time, and take on the second nursing job teaching antenatal classes, I rob myself of time. Art is squeezed into a very small window of time. If it takes up that entire window, then other things have to go. One daughter described my artistic commitment as "obsessive". I guess in many ways it has been. Frantically trying to make up for lost crewative time. I know a pay cheque pays the bills, but it also robs you of time. Some days, I really have just gone to work and not really enjoyed myself there. I did a job and fitted so much into that 8 hours, or even worked overtime (never paid) to complete tasks. I felt a lot of the time that nursing in maternal and early childhood is not valued, particularly by manageent. That angers me. I guess I feel that it's such important work, and it gets taken for granted. Which then emphasises the fact that art does give pleasure. Art gets noticed. Art can win prizes. It can earn notoriety. It can place some in the history books. Art is such a personal expression that cannot be ignored. My nursing career will hardly be anymore than a means to paying the bills (although I hope in some little way that my interactions with health clients can have a degree of positive impact on their lives). I really hope that my art (though left til later in life) will have an IMPACT.
I haven't done much art since New Year as I was trying to fill those other roles in my life... mother and wife. Here's a little watercolour of my baby doll.