Can FaceBook help me stay motivated?

I have not painted all year! I mean . . . (here comes my excuses) . . . I AM really busy, and if you've spent any time on my website (www.KayZahn.com) you'd understand why. But I really want to paint. I work from 6am to noon on the phone, on the computer and otherwise engaged in my regular life. MiMi wakes up around noon (sometimes earlier, sometimes later) and I really want to take the hour or two that her and I watch TV (while I type on my laptop, like now) and paint at least once a week.

Why I'm not getting to that, I'm not sure. But of course, I have an idea. Always one to work better under pressure, and long ago realizing that most of my pressure comes from my imagination anyway, I decided to give myself a reason to believe there is pressure to do what I say I want to do. So today I did something I'm not sure I will regret or not. I went onto Facebook and looked for a few friends. Not to talk to everyday, or so I have more "friends" in general (even tho my daughter seems to think it's a contest) but to help motivate me to paint.

They won't even have to do anything, except just become a fan and make me think they are watching. Then if I feel like what I'm trying to do is a waste of time, I'll think of them (and my few new friends from YouTube) and get over it.

I KNOW. It's stupid, but it just might work. Gotta go. Oprah is just about to talk to the guy who started Chipotle. I love that place.

Share the Joy, Kay

I started the year with compliments on You Tube !

Recently an email notification from YouTube(tm) said that I had received a comment on one of my oil painting videos. My heart skipped a little beat. I didn't want to open it for fear that it was the usual mean spirited type of thing that I've read elsewhere. You know the ones that seems to come from people with nothing better to do than to sit around watching stuff they don't like and then taking the time to criticize it. Sometimes with great passion. I gathered my courage (ok, I'm not really the type to worry about criticism, but I'm adding a little dramatic embellishment) and clicked to open.

To my great comfort Grynomite44 posted "You are really good! :)" and later Drawingmaster posted "Nice! I love his work. Makes it so simple. I hope to start soon." I have no idea who these people are, but they are my new best friends (more dramatic embellishment.) Honestly what it tells me is that no matter how many years ago Bob Ross published his work, people are still touched by his style.

My house is back to normal after the holidays. I have set up my easel again and I'm ready to paint. I'm going to try watching the episode I'll be painting along with next in advance of painting. I just need to have time to absorb it and think about it first. Perhaps in the future I'll be able to just turn on a new episode and go with it, but for now, I need time to prepare. A LOT of time to prepare. Once I am ready to paint, I'll try to do it along with the 30 minute episode.

I'll be back when my liquid white is wet (or actually after that as it will take me a while to get the video posted) but it sounded good.