I was so blue on Friday I had to stop trying to work. I moped around the house trying to get to the bottom of why I felt so sad and depressed and could not find a satisfactory answer. Sometimes I think my spirit sees and feels things ahead of my consciousness and body.
But since I couldn't get out of the mood, and trying to work anymore seemed futile, with nothing else better to do on a rainy day I decided to tackle cleaning up the basement. As I was sweeping and putting away toys, fishing tackle and memories, I looked up at a nautical chart I have on the wall and came up with an idea for a next art project--one that combines the sea and journeys, two of my favorite areas for inspiration.
I decided to make a fantasy map of a special quest. Using a nautical map of Gardiners Bay and the Orient and Long Beach bars as the backdrop, this new map would illustrate a tale of adventure: sea creatures friendly and hostile, magic artifacts, and the quest to sail through the unknown to reach a rare and dangerous treasure. The idea helped kick me out of my gloom, and I braved the downpour to pick up a chart from Prestons. After laying it out on the dining room table, I went to work using stuff I found washed up on the beach: fishing lures (the monsters), glass, old pottery shards, metal, oyster shells. I have placed them around the map to help the story unfold, as it meanders with unexpected twists and turns.
The map wouldn't tell me how the story ends--only that the hero loved the sea, enjoyed herself (mostly) on her quest, and would end up surprised by both friends and foes. She did a lot of dumb things, and got saved by luck more often then skill.
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