Time to put it all on the table

So...
It is January 23rd today and I have officially been back to school for 20 days already.
So it is time for a little update to explain what is happening in my life right now.
First of all I am in my second semester at Concordia, and am taking 2 seminar classes and the graduate project class. The two seminars are definitely keeping me on my toes but I have already learned so much in comparison to last semester which was rather uneventful. One class is calles Flesh and Form and is lead by Erin Manning, it's very very interesting, philosophy but focused on the body, movement and perception of it. Etc. at the same time as part of the course we have to "shadow" another person in the class... and someone else has to shadow us. Erin wants us to learn and observe the process of the other artist. Specifically the process during creation of the work, and also the bridge inbetween the work. How does the person deal finishing a project and then moving on to the next. Very intersting.
The other course I have is called Urban Insights and focusses on the issue of "place" and the city as a place. Specifically the district St. Henri in Montreal. Which is a neighborhood in transition. As our first project we literally have to walk around st. Henri and map it out. And observe.. etc.
Also very intersting course. In my Grad project course we are doing a lot of presenting and talking about our work. Which is good as well and always brings new insights. This semester is turning very philosophical it's interesting.
But the seminar classes are a lot of hard readings and 2 big group projects as well, as I said they keep me on my toes.

So I got hired as the full time work study Lithography monitor, well techically Lithography Technician. Because I do all the work of a Technician. 16 hours a week in the shop... and it is already very overwhelming. Because people start to know who I am so I get swamped with questions and things to do even when I am not in here working my paid hours but instead working on my prints and projects. 16 hours is actually a lot, and I forgot how painful work and school together was. ;) After my ONE lazy semester EVER last semester.

I am also still teaching Assistent again for Mikael Petraccia's Master printer course, the only difference is that the students are completely involved and hardworking. So what was my frustration last semester turned a bit into hell this semester. Instead of having to kick their butts to do work we are stuggling to keep up with helping them work. Despite the fact that we are 2 people teaching this course there are absolutely too many people in the class. Since the class is mostly a loose open project course, everyone has thousands of questions and needs help in very different areas. So my friday mornings have been quite insane.

This insanity extends straight into my job. I am the only monitor who is really responsible on keeping the shop running, but then I am also supposed to help students print during the times that I am in. So it is crazy.

In addition to that I am back in the Darkroom developing some rolls and working on another collaboration idea with Dono Bei C. Which I am quite excited about. We'll see how that goes.

Well and then I am technically working on 3 different projects with my prints. The family portraits. The interior Bodyscapes. And the veiny print I did on ricepaper last semester which is kind of transforming into wallpaper/ wrapping paper and I might do an installation with it.
Simuntaniously there is a possible collaboration with another MFA person who is specialized on bookmaking.

I am also doing the Doodle-off as you all have noticed. And Feburary 8th, my friend Veronika from Germany is coming and I really want to have a lot of time for her as well so I feel very overwhelmed right now.
Next week I will find out if my piece got into the MFA studio arts show that is going up in March or April, not even sure about that date, and there is another show that I was looking to enter an International Miniature Print show in Bulgaria. So we'll see.

In general my problem is always that I am most productive and inspired when I have reached a certain level of stress, which then again creates more stress. No idea how to find a functional balance with that.

this is all for now!
More doodles tonight!