Dream with Our Eyes Open

Ah, sympathies. I often feel iffy about my ability to do Yuletart because art is not one of my bigger hobbies--I mean, I do it, I enjoy it, but I haven't put in the kind of hours it would take to get significantly good at it; and a lot of the people who participate in Yuletart are very, very good. What makes it doable for me (which may not at all work for you) is that art is something I have to do fast--I rarely spend more than two days on any single piece because otherwise I freeze up or I overwork the piece and ruin it worse than it was.

Have you considered pinch-hitting and doing a craft-based Yuletart? I think I've seen people make dolls, or do knitting, and it wouldn't surprise me to see someone bake Yuletart cookies some year if it hasn't already been done--I don't know what sorts of things you do craft-wise, but I made a couple of boxes last year for Yuletart (scrapbook materials and paint on top of premade papier-mache boxes from Michael's), and it was not as hard as I had thought it would be. Would something like that relieve some of the stress and make it possible for you to still participate?