Prioritizing healing

Healing takes courage, and we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it.” – Tori Amos 

Just when I thought I had fully transitioned into my new schedule, my body had other plans! I’ve been sick for days, and have been forced to spend lots of time under a blanket on the couch. The sickness has been a good reminder that going through major transitions takes a toll on your body, even when you can’t feel it at first.

In the spirit of healing, this seems like a great time to share some of the mind-clearing / stress-reducing techniques I mentioned last week.

My theme of last week was remaining open to newness – new experiences, new ways of thinking, a new schedule, new connections. I had to ride out an initial wave of discomfort about suddenly no longer having the security of a 9-5 job, and thankfully that wave has started to pass. To help move beyond the discomfort, I’ve gotten to work on a marketing plan and started to chart out my goals for 2015 in addition to filling new orders (thank you! thank you!).

Matted art prints ready to be shipped

And now: trying new things! If you’ve tried anything from this list, I’d love to hear about your experience.

Standing at the crossroads

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” – Rumi 

Before I talk more about what’s going on this week, I have news to share. I want to pass along this gorgeous gift guide. If you’re looking to support independent retailers this holiday season, check out the guide! My shop is included, but there are lots of great businesses to discover here. Also, lots of discounts and bonuses.

Finding joy (an experiment!)

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” – Annie Dillard

JOY: an original mixed media painting. A reminder that simple moments can provide us quiet joy.

Over the past few days I’ve been thinking about finding joy. 

I have a tendency to always be five steps ahead of myself. This may be a productive way to live, but I find that if I’m not careful, I miss the opportunity to truly experience joy.

I’m sure we’ve all heard at one point or another to live in the moment. To stay present.

How many of us would love to live a life where staying present is possible in each and every moment? I know I would!

And yet, generally this is not possible.

So what to do?

My earliest painting experiment

“The future is completely open, and we are writing it moment to moment” – Pema Chodron

Lately I’ve been trying to slow down and just breathe into all of the change happening in my life this year. I’ve never had a particularly easy time with transitions, even if they are happy ones. When I start to feel those classic symptoms of overwhelm, I often pull back to reflect and write down a series of recent little happy moments that I might otherwise forget, like finishing a new painting or reading a beautiful new comment on my blog.

So, what am I happy about today?

Possibility.

I decided to think back to October 2013, exactly one year ago, to remember what I was doing. What I found makes me laugh and feel such compassion for who I was then. For the hope that I felt painting again for the first time in 12 years. For my curiosity and my fear of the unknown.

Last October, I had no business yet. I had no paintings completed, no website, and certainly no Etsy shop. I was operating solely on my curiosity of how life could be different if I tried something new and explored my creativity in a new light.

So I signed up for an online painting class: Juliette Crane’s Serendipity.

What’s important to you? It’s time to share your story

“I am the poet of the poor, because I was poor when I loved; since I could not give gifts, I gave words.” – Ovid 

I decided at a  very young age that I was going to be a writer when I grew up.

More specifically, I wanted to be a poet.

I have always loved how powerful words can be. Each word and line has a weight to it, carefully considered for its meaning and ability to impact the reader.

And so for many years, I was a poet.

I wrote my first collection of poems in high school, my college major was poetry, and I was accepted to a national poetry fellowship after college. I published poems in journals, was nominated for prizes, and worked for a literary non-profit. I filled my shelves with books of poetry.

Above all else, I loved to write and read poems that told a story. A story told with attention to the sound and meaning of each word, to the power of metaphor and a strongly crafted scene. I felt able to write about experiences that felt powerful but painful: the sickness and death of loved ones, betrayals, loss. Also: connection and beauty, the subtle changes of the natural world.

Poetry was my creative outlet for over 10 years.

And yet, as I headed into my mid-20’s, the urge to sit down and write a poem began to lessen.