Back in Utah!

I am so glad to be home in Cottonwood Heights where I can sleep in my own bed, cook in my own kitchen, work from my own desk in my own office. "The best thing you've done in the last ten years, dad, is get this apartment!" That's what my son told me last fall. And it's true. An artist cannot exist long without a proper place to call home. I've sacrificed a lot to pay traveling dues. I sacrificed my sanity! And so things are calming down. The cities are magical. I need them. But they are relentlessly manic. One must be able to get away.

That was my graduate school formula. I was living with my little family in Storrs, Connecticut while going to graduate schoool. I could drive into Hartford or New Haven. And then an hour north to Boston or two hours South to New York. I could get away to the city and work hard and play hard, but then return home. I love the country quiet. Now to find civilazation I just hop on a flight an hour or two east or west. I need the rural and urban balance. Too much urban and I begin to lose myself trying to keep up . . . and then I'm susceptible to my demons. (Although I could call the "Utah" voices demons, not just the "Chelsea" voices.)

My dear friend Julia Cameron ("The Artist's Way") and I talk frequently on the phone. She recently moved back to Santa Fe while I moved here to Salt Lake City. We both love getting away from it all. New Mexico and Utah both have it's mountain and desert charm.) But we both lament the challenges. Sometimes people in the smaller towns don't "get" her. Same with me. And so it can feel lonely here in a more provincial environment. But that is when you book a flight for an outside gig and get away to feel the thrill of connecting with other artists! Then I return to my hovel to report and write.

It's going to be a great day. My canteen is filled! So many projects to have fun with and accomplish. Psst! Looks like that pilot for THE MORMON BOY COOKING SHOW is still in the works. It's going to be so much fun!