Let change flow (plus: an updated painting!)

“Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like” Lao Tzu 

I’d put together this graphic for a recent social media post and it struck me how much my art has changed over just a few short years. Here I am with some of my favorite designs:

I’ve realized a few things. First, that the challenge of being in your own process day to day makes it harder to see the bigger picture. I’ve struggled to be patient as my style evolves, to find adequate time to paint, and to avoid wishing for a jump into the future so I can see my career’s trajectory. I don’t say any of this as a complaint but rather to give an honest portrayal of the wavy creative path of a growing artist.

The beautiful positive though is that in my moments of reflection I can see that shifts have happened, however slow they felt at the time, and that’s so helpful to hold in my mind. Growth and change happen in the smallest of moments, often the ones we can’t see.

Speaking of change, I went back and added more detail to this little bear painting above and now I’m much happier with it. I declared the painting done a few weeks ago but then something didn’t feel right and so I continued to come back to it, thinking and waiting until I knew what to add. Yet another reason to be patient: the answers often come for me when I allow for silence and the passage of time. Neither feel comfortable when trying to move forward but if I’ve learned anything over this journey it’s that growth and change often don’t feel comfortable and yet we move forward anyway.

I also love that no matter how many new pieces I create and send out into the world, this piece from my first collection of paintings is still one of my best sellers. I’m convinced that truly we all just need love and even if I have doubts or experience twists in the road, the fact that I get to ship messages of love all over the world makes absolutely everything else worth it.

Here’s the message I want to leave you with today: let your life flow forward in a series of tiny steps. You may not be able to see your life changing, you may wish to speed everything up to the point where that change is obvious, but have faith that movement is happening.

And in the meantime, have a beautiful day.