I booked a last-minute gig for tomorrow. In the city.

So here I am, midl of the night, and doing prepwork. I use a different backpack when I travel by train than when I travel by car. So much to bring - it can get soooo heavy.

I just went through the time-off folder that I keep in the NYC gig-backpack. Taking out some pictures to make the backpack lighter for tomorrow. So many people I see. So many ideas I draw. But what to do with them all?

I love the web. I just picked a few - I can display them here:

You might Think that one job is the same as the next, but that's not the case at all. Dogs, Excitement, Babies, Old-People. Markers, T-Shirts, Mats, Black/White, Color....

One of this weekend's gigs was a Communion where I was to draw on T-Shirts. That's such a different game than drawing on paper. Here are some pictures of the t-shirts (They're still on the drawing board):

Oh, the frustration. It's It is Life is a Learning Event. And once I know, it becomes a Coaching Event. Gotta keep working at my 'game'.

Two Communions again this weekend (what else is new~). At the first one, I felt rushed. The Caricatures came out very good because I know what I'm doing. But I was really thrilled at the 2nd Communion - because I was playing my edge, and I did very well.

Wanted to show them to you here. Took photos with that new cellphone. But the pictures at the first Party came out clear enough. The pictures from my 'better' Party came out soooo blurry. You can see an idea of what I was drawing there, but you can't see details.

Boy who watched me take a photo at the 2nd Party: Aren't you going to zoom in on that?

Me: No. I don't know how. I'll just crop the photo in PhotoShop.

Those were my words. Boy was I sorry. Lesson: Either read that Cellphone manual, or at least get closer to your subject (like I usually do) when taking photos with it.

Here are the photos that came out clear. I should really be glad that this is my regular work. It took me so much work over so many years to get to this point:

And here are the disappointing photos of the excellent Artwork:

What a day I had last Saturday. Looked like RRRrrrain when I woke up at 6 am. Had to get right out though - scheduled to work OUTDOORS IN A PARK for the SPCA Walkathon - Rain or Shine.

But things usually do have a way of working out for me. Even though the weather forecast predicted rain and it looked gray and rainy, by the time I got there - clear skies!! I parked my car and ran through a big state park - regular easel and art supplies ALONG WITH BIG SIGNS that I made up especially for this event - client's request.

Drew pictures of dogs that absolutely did not stay still. I was looking at back of heads and actual rear ends most of the time that I was trying to draw those cute faces. Drawing dogs is a different game than drawing people.

Then I literally Ran through the park once again. Had to get to my car quickly to drive from Yorktown Heights, Westchester down to Oceanside, Long Island. I usually leave more than enough time to get to each party calmly, but this time I had made different arrangements with my Oceanside client. He really wanted me to draw at his grand-neice's Communion. So he took a chance. I told him that I might not even be able to make it there before the end of the party, but he took a chance by asking me to see what I could do. And me - once I've decided to try, I was really committed to doing the best I could.

What a whirlwind. Ran in, and actually had plenty of time to enjoy drawing. People again! My job is so interesting. This was a lovely demure Communion - just a few kids running around, but mostly adults who just sat at tables around my easel and watched the Art happen. It was like being on stage. They applauded after each picture, and we all had Fun.

So different than the exciting Communion that I did the next day (Sunday). That one was right here in my home-town (Wantagh! Yay!). This was a ParTay! Countless kids running around as well as Very Active Party-fun adults. Just goes to show that there isn't only One Way to Party. or One Way to Live. (or as I'm always saying, there isn't only One Way to Draw.) It takes effort, but we can create the experiences we want.

This is Your Life. Do It as well as you can!