Announcing important changes to my art business Over the past several years, since my uncle’s brain injury and becoming a parent, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what it means to be alive - for me as an individual, and for us as human beings on
Everyone says they love all of their children equally. I only have one child, but my mom friends who have multiple tell me that there is actually a favorite, and it usually changes daily. That’s a little bit how I feel about my newest original paintings - the Looking
Searching for the truth is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribed As an empath, I feel everything very deeply. It has become increasingly difficult to be on social media and watch the news, and increasingly difficult to
THE INSPIRATION Lately I have felt in a state of in between… where I was and where I'm going, who I was and who I'm becoming. It's had me feeling a little bit claustrophobic, and work I'd made earlier in the year
I became a mom in February 2019, took 4 months of parenting leave, and went back to work (at my then-corporate HR job, in a role I had started 6 weeks before giving birth) in July. For the next 8 months, I worked from home 3 days per week, and
I’ve been back from my art residency at Chateau d’Orquevaux, in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, for almost two weeks - which is as long as I was there. It’s taken me that long to figure out what I want to say in this recap, because in
The past three months have flown by in some kind of time warp. It feels like I’ve been hibernating, with short bursts of energy pushing me outside for fresh air, art class and activities for my son, but most of my time spent at home and looking inward. Suddenly
(If you’re new here, jump to the bottom of the post to read more about this monthly recap) 1. This month, I started a 10-week Art and Learning Collaborative facilitated by artist Heather Bird Harris (“Bird”), whose work explores the throughlines between land history and ecological crises. Four of
At the beginning of February, I wrote a list of things I’d like to build into my schedule over the course of the month. They were things I’d like to be spending more time on to really be taking advantage of this season of my life (since being
1. A late night drive home from book club. Two deer standing in the woods, just off the side of the road. 2. The sun warming my back. A high pitched trill of birds chirping in a nearby tree. Drawing a cup of broccoli cheddar soup into my hands for
Last May, I took a solo trip to Chicago for the wedding of one of my friends from middle school (nothing like writing that in your mid-30s to make you feel old). I arrived early Friday morning to escape the day-to-day (which at the time was working my full-time job,
Today’s post (which is admittedly a day late because my son was home sick yesterday) is a poem inspired by a prompt in one of Beth Kempton’s online courses. The topic, to wonder at the vastness and interconnectedness of everything. Invisible Strings We live in a world of
Each Monday, I post content that is relevant to whatever is happening in my studio and life. The last Monday of each month (so today!), I’ve decided to reflect on 5 moments of everyday beauty that I noticed over the past few weeks. I’ve tried various gratitude practices,
Everything starts and ends with the heart. What's left of mine? she wondered, as she unearthed each fragmented piece of the past. Exposed. She carefully cleaned and polished them one by one. Her body felt hollow, the truth brought to light. But when she tried to put it
Dreaming, like writing, takes us somewhere our subconscious knows we need to go. Dreams can show us both what is unreal, and what is true. They can highlight memories from the deepest corners of our minds and connect us back to the past, or give us hope and let us
Things that make me feel alive looking up at infinite stars the world spinning around me hot breath against bitter cold air steam floating around me feeling the warmth of your arms a blanket wrapped around me downpour of falling rain shining like glitter around me bright colors unfolding chase
I’ve been a creative person all of my life, though I never quite thought of myself as someone who could create something out of nothing. In fact, when I was younger, I thought of myself as exactly the opposite - someone who couldn’t create something out of nothing.
I almost didn’t write this. I planned to. I wrote a version weeks ago, trying to get ahead. It was daylight savings time, actually, because I recall thinking I had one extra hour to get something else done. The sign of a recovering overachiever. But the year wasn’t
Today is day 3 of Beth Kempton ‘s Winter Writing Sanctuary, something I’ve looked forward to the past few years, since I started writing again. I’ve been avoiding writing my year in review and a look ahead, so when today’s prompt was “Reflecting: Measuring a year”, I
We sat, just the two of us, at the dining room table. Well, you didn’t do much sitting (as usual). You bounced up and down with your knees on the chair when you saw the tiny plastic bags filled with colorful candies. “I need scissors and a bowl!” you
artwork
About the Collection The Open to Interpretation Collection explores the ways in which we handle conflict and communicate (or don’t) with those around us - and the impact that has on our personal emotional landscapes. In a culture where many of us are too busy to actually look inward
haiku
Winter Writing Sanctuary, 1.1 Noticing: Measuring A Moment I’ve been wanting to start a substack for a few weeks and thought the Winter Writing Sanctuary with Beth Kempton came at the exact right time, though I will do an introductory post as well at some point. For now,
Is the measure of a life in the number of words spoken or the silence between us? The minutes spent watching the sunrise, or the nights my head rests on the pillow next to yours? Is it in the questions asked, or the prayers answered? Or maybe it is in
This morning I used my sketchbook to test out some colors for a new series I'm planning to start next week. Usually my ideas come to me as concepts first, and I don't have any idea what they'll look like until I start painting