Shopping Day, Puerto Vallarta

We spent the day in Puerto Vallarta wrapping up some errands and getting supplies for the month ahead.

Sadly, we knew this would be a full day, so we skipped the surf this morning despite the fact that some swell is finally coming in (turned out the offshore winds didn't help the waves and we hadn't missed much after all).
Our plan was to hit costco and stock up on vegetables and other staples when we move into our new place tomorrow.  It's a bit funny how excited we are to have a full sized fridge, much less the rest of the kitchen and an entertaining space should we decide to use it.  It also means that i will be able to get a bit of artwork in, so we tried to find the art stores in town to gather some supplies.  Shopping here is no easy task (other than costco, which of course feels just like any other).  First we track down the art stores, one of which has no name and both of which lie on streets without signs.  People in Vallarta however seem to be a bit better versed in directions than we got used to in baja, and we circle in on the stores without too much trouble.  We also got to stop for tacos at a crazy good sheet cart on the journey.  We can't really figure out how every street taco is better than the last one but today's tacos (and a quesadilla) made us want to be adopted by the lady cooking up tacos and ceviche behind the counter…and her smile and constant laughter made for the perfect break in our sweaty day.
Both shops turn out to be about 100sqft total and don't exactly have a luxurious supply, so we walk out empty handed.  They also don't carry paper- thats the job of the papeleria (paper store), so we hit 3 or 4 looking for acetate, velum or trace; all of which are unheard of.  We do finally find a few pieces of paper that i think will provide enough strength for me to cut stencils and we finally have one item checked off our list.  All paint stores in town are the same brand and spray paint isn't a typical item, so I'm prepping to use the 8colors on the shelf at walmart (despite our promise to never return) and try to convince myself that the 100's of colors available back home were unnecessary luxuries anyway.

That worked right up until we found a local graffiti artist who pointed me to the one store in town (possibly in mexico) that actually carries artist spray paints.  D'Klub HipHop actually had a pretty decent supply of colors and the off-brand paints were about half the price i was used to paying back home.  Success!
Paper, check; Paints, check…now its just a matter of something to paint on.  For most graffiti artists that would mean a brick wall or train car, but being a homeowner i happen to take issue with people marking others' property- even if it is in the name of art.  If someone hasn't asked you to add art to their wall, fence or car- find another place, seriously.  For most other artists, this would mean canvas- but i was too cheap to buy canvases back home and the art stores here are selling them for $40-60each. Ouch.
If my paintings had proven to fly off the shelves for high dollar amounts in the past than paying for canvases wouldn't be an issue, but since I'm currently in the battle of convincing myself to create for the sake of creation…thats a bit pricey for my blood.  For context, that's the same price we currently spend on our temporary housing for a week, or the amount we spend eating well for the same 7days.  I'll be settling for some plywood and a few reclaimed boards i got off the restaurant beneath our officepartment.

All pieces are now in place- i have taken away any tangible excuses for not creating artwork which has always been one of the large reasons for us making this trip.  A key step in goal setting (and reaching) is to first remove any obstacles that you can possibly use as excuses.  Up until this point in our trip i haven't been able the create because i didn't have the space, or the materials or the time.  Now, if no art gets created in the span of the next month…the only blame get pointed straight at me.  That being said, check back at the end of the month to see if i found a new set of excuses.