By All Means, Paint
The last time I wrote, it was a different time. But, here we are! We are breathing in and out. We are getting back to our lives. During this typically festive time of year, we are considering the future, connecting with family, and making our holiday plans. Hopefully you are also finding time to release any feelings that might be boiling over on something productive or creative.
For me, my art has returned back to me in a forceful rush of energy and urgency that had been dampened by feelings of loss. Even in the days leading up to the election I couldn’t find the interest to create, but now, it feels right and even necessary to dive back into the practice. Painting quiets my outer world. I get lost contemplating the color palette, planning my process, and working over the technical details. I am lucky to have this insular practice that carries me away, even if for a short time, and allows me to meditate on the inner landscape of myself.
However, the world will not stay paused forever. On a rapidly approaching mid-winter day, the majority governing power will be handed over. And we must ask ourselves, how can we prepare for the future we want to see?
Donate to organizations you care about. Get prepared financially. Most importantly, connect to your community and don’t wait! Let the people in your life know you love them, that you care about what’s happening in their lives, and be prepared to emotionally support others where possible. Avoid getting bogged down in the social media quicksand. It will bring you all the anxiety and anger and no constructive way to release it. Don’t let that stuff own you and DO NOT LOOK AT THE COMMENT SECTION for crying out loud! And if you do, DON’T, I mean really don’t, add your comments to the fray.
But if you do (whoops!) meditate, walk in the woods, eat good food, take a bubble bath… get back to center ASAP. Run to the things that bring you joy to restabilize.
In addition to the above mentioned serotonin-bolstering activities I’m focusing on new artwork in my studio, more teaching opportunities, ongoing written projects, and some exciting collaborations with the team at IDSVA. I’m designing an illustration for my professional postcards to go out to agents and publishers, which is well underway. I will have a piece in the Ocean House Gallery Holiday Show- a sweet little landscape! I will be traveling with IDSVA to help with their winter residency program, and continuing to sub on occasion with NYA. My workshop at Artascope earlier this month went well, and I’m happy to be part of that circle of creators and instructors. I am still counting my wins and I hope you are, too!
If we can envision it, we can share it, and we can create that beauty where we stand. What we manifest has the power to radiate outward. We are not so disconnected as we seem, and a single candle in a dark room has the power to illuminate so that we can see. My “candle” begins with diving into my current work and asking new questions. “How can I use my creative skill set to be a catalyst for community, growth, and positive change?” I am so tired of waiting for the world to become the place that I know it can be. I’m afraid I’ll never live to see it manifest, so I try to look at it from a different viewpoint and remember that my time in history has its own beauty, and unique sadness.
At this particular moment, I’m keeping more or less afloat, but I’m also listening to a new fire inside of me that wants change at a radical level. Stay focused, friends, and hang in there.
With Love!
