Time flies
It’s July. I’d add “already,” but I feel it’s redundant. June is a bit of a blur. I started counseling. I attended three different work-related trainings and retreats. I made a lot of art. I even submitted art for a show (a first for me!), though it wasn’t accepted.
At peace
Right now I’m at peace. I’m watching house finches and blue jays munch on bird seed at the feeders outside my window. There’s a juvenile cardinal out there showing some signs that it’s expecting the other birds to feed it, even though they aren’t even the same species. After being ignored, they get their own snack. The blue jays have found the peanuts and are carrying them away to their nests, or wherever they might be eating them.
It’s Sunday, so my only “appointment” is donating blood at noon. Right now I’m feeling Ok with my work load as well. Some things are moving quickly, but I’m in a better head space to manage that. I’m also in a better head space to where I’m not taking feedback personally.
Art
Art, and creating in general, help to keep me or return me to peace. It gives my hands a chance to be busy and my mind something to focus on besides the thousands of thoughts that pop in all of the time. It also gives my heart a chance to express and process my experiences, thoughts, dreams, hopes…
I did something daring recently. I submitted three art pieces for a show. I’ve toyed with the idea of doing this in the past, but fear kept me from doing it. A sense of imposter syndrome. “You’re not a real artist because it’s not your job. And you’ve only sold a few pieces art to friends and acquaintances.”
I’m not sure what drew me to submitting my work to this show, but I overcame my fear, and I did it!! My art did get rejected for the show, but didn’t sting much. And now I get to offer the pieces to the broader world! E-mail me if any of these pieces belongs with you (christy@livingdaringly.com). And I’ll get them up in the shop soon too.
Art Journaling
June was a month full of mixed media art journaling. Sometimes an entry takes awhile, so it fell off my radar when I was feeling overwhelmed with things. But I’m back to doing it pretty regularly, with other projects going on in the background too. Here are the pieces I did last month.
The overturn of Roe happened during June. You can see some of my journal entries that address that topic. There are also quite a few entries devoted to ideas in Valarie Kaur’s book, See No Stranger. The quotes you see that aren’t hand-stamped or hand-written are from magazines I subscribe to.
I love mixed media art, because it’s a little of this and that. I generally start off with a background of colors I want to play with. I play with different techniques and tools to get different looks. I definitely like adding words to my art.
Closing Up
I often leave my back door open with just the screen door closed during the evening. The cats love watching what’s going on outside. When it’s time for bed, I ask them to move (and gently encourage them if they are reluctant) and tell them, “It’s time to close up!”
For this blog, I’m closing with a strong sense of gratitude for the privilege of having space and resources to create. I’m thinking of ways to share this with the community. The gears are turning.
Wishing everyone peace and revolutionary love!