Tag Archives: info

State Of The Art, May 2023

A life update.

On Sundays I do editing and transfer of the week’s writing from here to word-processing files.

This week, I added 5 poems for YTD total of 114 posted, including 1 exclusive for patrons that doesn’t appear on the Dark Matter blog. On pace to at least equal last year’s total poems posted. Coulda fooled me until I checked it this AM. I feel far behind that.

Quality is another matter entirely. I generally have a moment in spring where things feel way off. I need some distance between the poems and me before I can assess the state of the Work.

I’m still trying to figure out a way to make more $ with this work, to have it be more self-sustaining. The hustle is hard and I’m bad at it. (No more GoFundMe! I want to work for it.)

I’ve got two workshops (same course, two different sessions) coming in August; still trying to make Patreon work — it’s good, I think, but I seem to have hit a wall on new subscribers and I’ve lost a few, too. Hit me up if you want more info on any of that.

Still working my training consulting business, of course, but we are getting toward summer which is the slow season for training sessions as they frequently conflict with vacations, etc. I’ve already had two work proposals delayed indefinitely for even confirming, and I know that’s part of the issue with at least one.

Bills don’t stop though.

I’m also spending more time with my mother right now. Sister’s own health problems are keeping her from doing a lot of caregiver work consistently and I’m filling in the holes. Spending a lot of time down there at the house, which fucks with my mood and energy.

Happy Mother’s Day to those in the mood for it; take care of yourselves if it’s a hard day for you.


Follow up note:

Although I feel better and was able to complete a couple of pieces and post them in the last few days, I confess that I’m quite mentally and emotionally drained at the moment and need to take a bit of a break from this Work.  

It’s not writer’s block I’m dealing with — never had it, never will — but a need to reexamine my path and readjust a bit.  

I’ll be back soon.  PLEASE take the time to read some of the older work here; there’s lots of it and the focus on the most recent material causes a lot to be lost in the fog.  I’ll be doing the same as I figure this out.

Thanks for your understanding.  Take care.

Tony