The most recent newsletter is displayed to your right and the archives below begin from oldest to newest.
- March 2002
- April 2002
- May 2002
- July 2002
- August 2002
- October 2002
- November 2002
- December 2002
- January 2003
- February 2003
- March 2003
- April 2003
- June 2003
- July 2003
- September 2003
- October 2003
- November 2003
- December 2003
- January 2004
- February 2004
- March 2004
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- February 2006
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- October 2006
- December 2006
- August 2007
- October 2007
JULY 2002
In June, there were problems.My internet cable access was down for almost two weeks therefore so was my transmission of emails. My webhost that runs the Another Girl at Play site went down - causing a temporary 4-day loss of the site, mailing list, and email. My personal computer crashed causing the June Newsletter to vanish into thin air and any hope of printing out information died when printer did. With everything breaking, all I wanted to do was give up. However, with a heavy workload that had doubled in the past month I couldn't. I had to keep going despite my tools - and mood - failing me.
Slowly, things became fixed. My computer is now working, the mailing lists have been salvaged, and the site is again operational. Things have calmed down, the workload's become even and I've even been able to relax a little. Life as a creative person is like this I've learned - some days everything breaks and you wonder why you do what you do and other days you realise you have the best job in town.
A lot of artists on the Another Girl at Play site talk about the eternal ebb and flow of work. By their descriptions, you would almost think they were manic-depressive as they share the same characteristics. One day their absolutely in love with what they're doing as everything is working perfectly. The next day their frustration is boiling over because they either don't have work, inspiration or both.
Choosing to be an independent artist can be a hard life at times because of it's unpredictability. When things break down there is no one you can complain to, when your working overtime you can't ask for compensation and when you're swamped you don't have back up. Learning to accept that that's just how this business works can be hard and sometimes it takes awhile to adjust to it. But if creativity is your passion - you do.
Duke Ellington once said, "I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues." This is why the women of Another Girl at Play are successful and keep working. It's not because every day is easy and wonderful, it's because the find ways to keep going when they aren't. Creative work is a balance of good days and bad. The trick is to figure out how to work through all of them.
I worked through mine with the help of strong tea, a few select curse words and the knowledge that I'm not the only one who has rough days. The women of Another Girl at Play have taught me that even if things are hard, it doesn't mean they're impossible. And that if you keep working through the problems of today, they'll give way to the promise of tomorrow.
COPYRIGHT 2002 - 2004 ALEX BEAUCHAMP. NO PART MAY BE REPRINTED WITHOUT PERMISSION. SITE IS HAPPILY HOSTED BY DREAMHOST.