Have a little faith (plus: painting progress and life around here lately)

“Have a little faith in me” John Hiatt

The song Have a little faith in me came on the radio the other day and while it’s not a song I usually hear, I felt myself pause at the word faith.

Have a little faith in me.

I felt like this was the universe talking, saying what’s your rush? Don’t worry, I’ll get you where you need to go.

The original BREATHE painting, temporarily back in my studio for framing!

I’ve noticed the passage of time more acutely this year as we celebrate each month of Isaac’s life via the monthly sticker set and it’s been so fun to see other babies growing too:

Look at this sweet little lady wearing month 3! Thanks to her mama for sharing this photo.

I’ve also felt the limits of time, longing to create more art with my baby-free time while simultaneously knowing I should get some much needed sleep or exercise or even just relax for a minute.

We also have a lot of unknowns coming up in the next few months from when we need to move to a bigger home to when / how my business can grow. Growing pains galore!

We added some carpet tiles to our office / my art studio and I love how joyful the color is! Color really can change everything

This period of our lives is beautiful in some ways and downright confusing in others.

Have a little faith.

I’ve always been a believer in divine timing and so I keep reminding myself that in hindsight, all the seemingly confusing twists and turns happening this year will make more sense. I believe that I’ll look back on this time in my life and see that there was never anything to fear after all.

Photos by Elena Saraga Danyluk

And in the in-between moments, the moments between baby smiles and the chaotic hum of our daily lives, sometimes from 11-12pm before I fall into bed, art happens. Here’s where we left the painting last time:

I then added a small grove of trees (more trees to come!):

And then the beginning stages of a field of flowers:

Here’s where the painting is currently:

I’ve been using a mixture of acrylic paints and inks, gouache, and a variety of paint pens. There are a lot more flowers / trees / grasses to add before everything looks unified and it’s time for the animals, but I like this stage where there’s so much potential. This stage can also be super intimidating.

When I showed Eric my progress last night and said it’s taking me a while to get through each stage, he said well, you’re on an adventure. 

I like thinking about the painting process as an adventure, as that makes it easier to use new colors and create bold shapes that I might not usually try out of fear that I’ll mess everything up.

Mistakes are part of any good adventure, right?

Let’s be bold today and see what happens.

With love,