It’s been five months since my last post. Due to the onset of a chronic illness I had to take a step away from not just my work on waste management in India, but also other work that is important to me. This was extremely difficult for me to do, but looking back it has been crucial not only to improving my health but also giving me time and space to rest and re-evaluate my priorities.

I had taken on far too many projects at once which inevitably lead to me being overwhelmed and unable to finish any of them. Luckily, with the support of my family, friends and a good deal of introspection, I have been able to gain some clarity.

Some more good news is that despite my inability to be as involved as I should have been, the waste separation program at my local temple continues thanks to the dedication of hard working members of the community that have picked up where I had to stop.

In addition, I am slowly starting to increase my involvement with that project again.

As for the art related work I had planned to do this summer related to waste management in India, I was able to finish one online editorial image which I posted on Facebook and my Twitter account and it was very well received by the waste management community network I am connected to.  It gives me confidence I am on the right track and I am hoping to continue  now that my health has improved.

My progress toward those socially aware artistic goals will come slower than I had initially planned but I am confident that they will be better for it. I have had to prioritize finishing other artistic and professional pursuits before taking on any further work so as to not spread myself too thin. In addition to the waste research I am also involved in several volunteer organizations which depend on me to be reliable and available.

A bit of exciting travel news to report now! I have been in contact with a group called Waste Warriors who work out of several places in Northern India but who are based in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.  I have plans to visit India again in February of 2018 and hope to work with them for a time. Details are still in the works but I am hoping to gain valuable insight and experience from the tremendously important and difficult work they do keeping their corner of India clean. I’m hoping to learn about the unique waste challenges they address in their part of the country as well as learn more about how they manage the NGO and build an effective network of volunteers and funding.

While there will be no fund raising for this particular trip (I have already been helped so much by so many generous people) as always I encourage you contact me through the contact tab above if you have any resources, information or contacts to share that might help me as I prepare. While my focus for this visit will be Waste Warriors, if I have the ability and opportunity to connect with other individuals and organizations I will make every effort to do so.

Thank you to all my supporters and readers who have been patiently awaiting updates while I recover.