CONTEXT DURING UNEXPECTED HIATUS

Once again, Jonathan and Maggie grapple with many unanticipated obstacles.

• Maggie doesn’t know when she can return to work on the solo since she must focus on helping her husband recover from a serious illness.
• Jonathan is unable to work on the piece during the previously scheduled August 3rd session due to a medical procedure.
• Jonathan is scheduled to teach two university dance classes each week in the fall.  However, his child care provider informed him that she can’t cover the second class each week.  As a result, he has to scramble to find alternate coverage.  The process is like a roller coaster ride.  His initial concern is that he will lose the job if he can’t find coverage.  In the interest of full disclosure, Jonathan informs the university of the situation.  He is given a few days to figure out a new arrangement.  Relieved that he has some extra time but nervous about the process, Jonathan contacts several nannies and mothers for recommendations.  Ultimately, the mother of Jonathan’s son’s friend agrees to watch Edgar in exchange for Jonathan watching Edgar’s friend on another day.  Jonathan’s mother will stay with Eliza while Jonathan is at work. 
• He is again thrown into turmoil when it becomes evident that he can't have his mother watch Eliza as he can't fit the commute time to his mother's house into his schedule.  Fortunately, the university believes that one of the students will be able to babysit for Eliza on the premises.  Jonathan’s fingers are crossed as he anxiously awaits the final outcome of this saga.
• The entire content of Jonathan’s website disappears when he tries to update it to a new format.  Sherri encourages him to contact his website host for help in recovering the site.  Jonathan concedes this is a good idea since the website contains so much of his professional history and required so much work to build.  The process is a bit tricky, but ultimately the host is able to restore the website.
• Jonathan and Sherri are learning the “ins and outs” of artistic copyright issues.
• Jonathan and his wife experience a Lyme disease scare with their daughter.  Fortunately, the tests are negative, and Eliza is now healthy.
• He has great fun hosting international guests for a week, but is unable to work on his creative pursuits during this time.

On the other hand, the August 3rd and August 10th missed rehearsals free up time for strategic planning and reflection.

• Jonathan uses the August 10th session to work on his new website, process with Sherri, and complete Process in Real Time tasks.
• Jonathan is taking a step back to strategically assess the artistic projects he is involved in and re-imagine the scope of his company.  As the current creative endeavors unfold organically, he wonders to what extent his leadership should drive decisions vs. allowing decisions to evolve from a collaborative process.
• The potential new business venture is temporarily on hold.  Jonathan is not particularly upset by this development as he has so much on his plate right now.
• Jonathan is struggling to figure out how to logistically juggle multiple creative projects and family responsibilities.
• Jonathan and his dancer/parent colleagues decide to continue their weekly get-togethers and see what develops.  Jonathan is excited by the possibilities of their collaboration and is allowing the process to unfold organically.
• Jonathan is always exploring ways in which subtle technical changes impact the emotional and psychological aspects of the work and shift the audience’s perception of the piece.
• While processing with Sherri, Jonathan gains insight into his creative needs:

1. They NEED to be addressed – somehow – now.
2. They are as potent – and deserving of attention – as ever, regardless of context.
3. Finding unconventional – even innovative – outlets for them are just as valuable – if not more so – than following typical professional avenues.

• These revelations help him chip away at the preconceived idea that your art is only valuable if it is produced in a company environment or is the byproduct of a “grand” endeavor.  Rather, engagement in ANY artistic experience for ANY length of time is equally as valuable as more “conventional” pursuits.  This is especially important for artists for whom parenting demands mean constant work interruptions and limited time to create.
• Moreover, as Sherri conceptualizes it, EVERY step along the path of a creative journey is a valuable work of art unto itself.  This idea challenges the notion that only the end product is the work of art.