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February 3, 2025 Dear Studio friends, I've been at the Roswell Artist-in-Residence program in New Mexico for a month now. Beyond the shift in landscape and location, the absence of pressure has been one of the most striking changes. I'm used to thinking about and using pressure—considering how geological sediments accumulate and form under pressure over time, thinking about the weight of memories and experiences that shape our sense of moving through time, and using the weight and density of materials as they interact and press against each other in the things I make. But dealing with the absence of pressure is new. During the first three weeks of January, as I got used to working in my new space, the absence of everything I'd normally do each day felt like a looming presence—in a good way. Every day I went into the studio and felt the expanse of time newly freed up to use however I wanted. At first it didn't seem real or right. I kept looking around in wonder that I was allowed to draw all day if I wanted to. The lack of obligations created so much new mental space. But I'm still me, so when there's space and time, I want to fill them. This past week I've noticed myself filling the space left by old-life pressures with new ones—100% self-created. Now that everything feels real, I'm pushing to take full advantage of the time and space, and in the process, loading myself with new pressures. My project now is to calibrate the pressure—to keep the benefits of having few outside demands while managing my tendency to create internal expectations. Going into the second month, I'm hoping to find a pressure balance. Thank you for joining me. More soon,
~Lydia
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