Shakespeare Kickin' My Rear

I've been working on a huge costume project.  It a production of FORTINBRAS by Lee Blessing.  I've been looking forward to creating this show since September.   I cut my creative costume "teeth" on designing and building big shows. This is Lee Blessing's take on what happens after HAMLET.  It's a comedy, and a good one at that.
For whatever reason, this show has been a huge challenge for me.  It challenged my attitude, my creativity and my resolve.   My attitude and love of costuming dropped and left me about 10:30 pm last night. This morning the stress broke me.   It was photo shoot day. To be followed by first dress.
In my broken state I checked with myself.   I had let pain and fear of the costumes not being good enough or the right thing get to me.  My dear husband, Broadside, listen to me patiently as we walked to get some coffee and I cried.  He put his arm around me and said, "You've been saying it's a little tense at the theater and people have fallen down on their jobs. You've let their energy get to you."  Later that day, one of my kids (who is working the show), said to me, "If you want things to go badly and you focus on it, it will go badly."  I got fed my own medicine, in a large dose.  This afternoon, the actors got into costume.  The energy shifted to one of happiness, joy and relaxed excitment.  One actor said. "now we have a show!"
When stressed it's so easy to slip into negative and fearful thoughts.  Negativity loves tried, overworked, over extented and not taking care of ones self.  We sometimes get in that state of mind.  It is when we are in that state of mind, we need to call on our support system.  I'm lucky to be married to a man who understands theater.  On this show, I'm lucky to have one of my kids (grow up and making me proud), and a group of fun loving actors.  I'm greeted with love and good energy from them, even under the most tense situations.
The show is going to be good.  The actors are some of the best my city has to offer.  I'm finally relaxed enough to be proud of my work, my creations.  Out of the 30 plus costumes, I have two the need a little alterations.  Not bad.

I usually don't use my costume work as a project of the week, but I built this wonderful hat, and folks have been asking to see a bit of my design work.

How does the energy around you effect you?  When you get stressed where does your attitude go?

Until next week...create to feel great!
29 projects complete! 23 to go!