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Moving Blues

My family is moving to Maryland in a few weeks so I can serve as rector of a parish there. Moving is always traumatic for the artist. 1) There is always gobs of stuff to move. Artists tend to collect more 'junk' than your average folk... pictures, props, supplies, etc. not to mention his own work, so moving always presents a major challenge. 2) Losing a studio space (especially a nice one like I have) is very sad, because the artist gets used to his environment and to some extent it plays an important role in the creation of his work. It takes me months to acclimate to a new studio, which is quite disruptive to the artistic process. 3) While packing the artist cannot work on art or anything else very easily; packing takes up all of your time and energy. So this move, like all of them before, will be an artistic nightmare at least for the short term.

But the bright side of it is that besides being closer to family and old friends we will be living in a major metropolitan area. There will be world class museums within easy driving distance, and lots of creative stimulus. Country life is nice in moderation, but at this stage in my life I am more interested in the conveniences and excitement of the city and the suburbs.

Still, I will always remember my time here in Virginia and in this church and this gorgeous country setting with fondness and nostalgia. I thanks God for this time and for all of His blessings while here.

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