S.T.R.E.S.S

I keep getting really bad chest pains lately. I think it comes from all the anxiety and stress about planning my exhibition. I'm getting through it slowly, but it's sure taking it's toll on my poor little heart. It feels like it's pounding alot, and I'm getting the old anxiety feelings where I can't breathe or swallow. I just need to try and relax; quite hard when I've got so much to think about and pay for and organise. I'm usually good at organising so that's not the issue, it's getting my head round the big messy mass that is my ever-increasing to do list. So far, here's my DONE list with costs highlighted for extra drama and sympathy:

• Buy new portfolio £22.99
• Buy Inserts for portfolio £15.00
• Buy background card for my portfolio £13.00
• Print off images for portfolio All 6 Epson cartridges- £59.00, printer paper £19.98
• Order postcards £57
• Order business cards £ 18 + £4 p&p
• Bagsy plinths from the studio
• Plan out positions of plinths/tables/images etc in allocated display space
• Put work up on course website
• Buy Photo Mount spray £5.99
• Buy foam board £16
• Order postcard/Business card holder £5
• Send off competition entry £16

Total financial cost so far: £252.95

Total emotional/physical cost so far: Dodgy heart, shortness of breath, crying, general anxiety.

So here, of course, is what still needs to be done with estimated costs too:

• Print off work for display, includes enlargements of work £50
• Mount all work for display
• Buy material to cover plinths and table anything up to £60
• Write and mount statement
• Have photograph taken, printed and mounted
• Compile portfolio and have it checked over by Andy
• Buy odd bits for display (white tack/ tape etc) £10
• Clean, strip, sand down and paint display boards, plinths, portfolio holder - this will probably take about half a week!
• Put up work
• Change things round a few times to make sure it all looks good

Total Cost of exhibition - £372. 95

There's bound to be a few niggly little things too. Nice. Thank heavens our £500 studio fees cover the costs of all the paint and paint rollers etc. Generous huh?

It seems I'm getting through things okay, slowly working my way through the list. The big things next are sprting my portfolio and getting my work printed off to a decent standard which I've so far avoided because I have a feeling it's all going to go wrong. I won't bore everyone going on about image resolutions and pixels etc but I just don't think they're going to turn out okay. I can't leave it any longer though, it has to be done, and done soon.

Deeeeep breaths..... Everything is going to be okay.... Deeeeeep breaths...