My own personal rule about this blog is to only post when I've got something meaningful to talk about.  That might be me finishing a new piece of artwork, it might be me letting you all know when there's something going on, it might be just me wanting to point people towards something cool that I'm into at the moment.  It's been a useful rule, but right now the two rules are competing mightily.  I am completely aware that I need to say something, but I've been largely unproductive lately (due to a variety of reasons).

So let's talk about the biggest reason right now: I'm in the middle of another gout attack.  Follow the link, it'll explain what's going on with my health right now.  

Basically, the way things work is that when I have a bad gout attack, I have to wear this air cast and walk with a cane for an unknown amount of time.  I do what I can in terms of eating better and working out consistently, but every so often it pops back up, and I'm on the shelf for a while.  So far this year, I'm up to about six weeks of productive work time lost, with another three or four weeks working at half-speed, if that (it takes time to shake off the effects of the prescriptions I have to take for gout).  Yes, it's very frustrating not being able to really settle into any kind of groove with my work before I get interrupted again.  I'm counting my blessings through, at least I was able to get through both of my art fairs this summer without issue.

So I'm in the middle of my second week of not really being able to work (I can't stand for any length of time, so while I could draw some, provided I wasn't out of my head on prescriptions, I can't actually print anything at all until the attack is over).  I can't really concentrate on much of anything because of the pain and the pills.  It's just a useless dead zone that I can't do anything about.  I wish I was doing literally anything other than having to explain why I don't have any work to show anyone right now.  It's all nothing but excuses in the end, and I'd rather have a fistful of new prints than a handful of excuses.

Of course, I'm not the only creative type who's had to deal with this problem.  Here's a print by James Gillray, titled "The Gout," from 1799:

That sums it up nicely.  Anyhow, I'm very much looking forward to getting back to work so that we can collectively revel in the quality of my work instead of wallowing in the crapulence of my inability to work.

c.