Not only do I throw the shrink wrap away, but I don't even keep the cardboard covers on DVD cases. Unless maybe they have something different on them.
I've been introverted all my life. There are people I work with that have never seen me talk (there are a lot of us, though). I tend to do better in small groups, especially if I'm somewhat aquainted with the people. That said, a couple of years ago at ACEN I got to spend an entire Saturday going to Touhou related events, which capped with an outdoor rave party. I still consider the best day I've ever had, and I only barely spoke to anyone. It was just nice to be with an entire group that was into something that I am.
I don't put myself out there very often, but I try to remind myself to sometimes say yes even if I don't want to do something, because I usually end up enjoying myself when I do. I've come to see being uncomfortable as a life skill, but it's not something others can force - you have to do it when you feel up for it. That said, you won't see me dancing any time soon (shivers).
As far as being hardcore for the craft, I can understand. I'm working on a rough of what will be my debut work as a writer, and I keep getting frustrated over the delays and my occasional lack of enthusiasm. I want to write every day, and for a while I was. I don't want to do it do the degree that I ignore everything else, but if I'm ever going to get to where I want to be then I need to find better focus. The problem for me is that my emotions occasionally tend to mute themselves, and while there was a time in my life when I was okay wth that I need them to be able to write the way I want to. I know I'll get there, and for me, being hardcore about writing is worth it, because sometimes you get in that zone where the story just comes out of you and you lose all track of time. It's a like a trance, and one of my two favorite things about writing. The other is when your own story catches you off guard and legitemately surprises you.
At any rate, Pie, good luck with your artwork. I'm sure that if you keep working you'll get where you want to be. Taking breaks can be good, too, becuase sometimes you have to let creativity rest before it can improve again. As far as remembering to live alongside creating, I rely on a Stephen King quote. "Art is a support for life, not the other way around." If you can keep art as one part of a larger whole that is life, then I think you'll find the balance between being a hardore artist and living (at least, that's what works for me). But it sounds like you're already doing a pretty good job.
