Making progress (plus, new art for sale!)

“A beautiful thing is never perfect” – Proverb

I have been thinking a lot lately about sensitivity. 

I mean this both physically and emotionally – we all approach the world in such varied ways, influenced by how easy or difficult we find the journey of our daily lives.

While I was generally a happy kid, I still found the world to be a little difficult. Shy, overwhelmed easily by social situations, and practically allergic to socks and shirt tags (certain textures, such as the feel of socks between toes, were so difficult for me that I would feel absolutely distraught when putting them on. Just ask my mom!)

Needless to say, I have always been a very sensitive person. Until the past few years, however, I viewed my sensitive nature as a flaw to be overcome. For example, I thought that my need for lots of reflection time after a big social gathering was a flaw, as was my discomfort meeting lots of new people at once. I thought I was flawed for not being able to eat many foods without a reaction, and for allowing the moods of others to affect me so deeply. When someone would refer to me as sensitive, I would feel insulted.

Imagine: feeling insulted because of your body’s natural reaction to the world. 

Then I discovered this book: The Highly Sensitive Person. When I started to read more about people who approached the world similarly to myself (approximately 15 to 20 percent of the population), I felt such relief. This piece of my experience with the world began to make sense.

I have worked over the past few years to accept that I have always been a deeply sensitive person, that I always will be, and that I need to learn how to work with my body instead of against it. It’s been a slow process of learning who I am, but I can even poke fun at myself now! No matter what, I will always be the first to smell when the trash needs to go out in our house. I spend most of our morning commute with my eyes partially closed, because I startle so easily (my husband drives, not to worry!). I will always be the coldest person in any room, without fail.

If someone refers to me as sensitive now, I thank them. 

Exploring the world as an artist has helped me to see that sensitivity can be a great gift. I feel connected to the world every day, picking up on tiny details, smells, textures, and emotions. Each little detail helps to drive my work, and I am able to align my business with what resonates with me most deeply (connecting with you, making art that inspires). I will likely never be a famous public speaker, but that’s okay since writing lights me up and soothes my heart. We all have our preferences.

A beautiful thing is never perfect. 

I love this concept. On one hand, there is nothing wrong with wanting the work you put into the world to be the highest quality. I am proud of the quality of the materials I use for my art (you can see everything I use in my FAQs), as well as my commitment to customer service. There is always room to learn something new, however. I tell myself each day: you have space inside for growth, you have space inside to change. I believe this for all of us.

So in the spirit of growth and change: some of my new work is now available for sale (a few new art prints, and these matted art prints).

The matted art prints are new to my shop, and I’m so excited about them. Now you have an option to own one of my art prints with a custom 11×14 mat. I love the simple look, the quality of the mat, and the ease of fitting the mat into a standard 11×14 frame. See my shop for a list of which matted prints are currently available, in addition to all other details.

The rest of the listings will come, as I carve out the time over the next weeks to scan in the rest of the new paintings. I will add new pictures to better show the details of my work, of the paper I use, and the mats.

A beautiful thing is never perfect, and as I grow older and learn to embrace my sensitive approach to an extroverted world, making progress imperfectly is just fine as it still means progress is made.

As you’ve gotten older, how have you learned to accept yourself in new ways? What has become possible for you, as you’ve made shifts in how you approach your life? I’d love to hear from you. Let me know your story in the comments below.

xo,