seeking antidote for information overload

"a river runs through it"  mixed media on canvas  36"x12"

do you ever feel overwhelmed

by the barrage of information

or sheer amount of words,

images upon images,

(even the relevant/beautiful/powerful ones)?

overload.

do you struggle

with the weight and worth

of your additions

to the massive pile to sift through

as i do?

self promotion seems to be

a necessity of our craft these days...

yet, even when done humbly and respectfully

it feels a little bit like

pulling a bandaid.

and throwing it in the pile.

doesn't it?

"a river runs through it"  mixed media on canvas  12"x36"

my attempt at a respite:

step 1: unplugging.

a walk through the fields.  playing in the dirt.

picking fresh vegetables.  making a child laugh.

jumping in a bouncy house. sipping my tea slowly.

sitting around the fire with loved ones.

leaving the camera at home.

step 2: simplifying

my own input.

editing the heck out of my thoughts.

ruthlessly cutting out unnecessary words.

really digging

to get to the heart of things.

visually,

if i must paint

(and i must),

this is not a joke:

i paint everything white.

i use mostly materials

others would consider trash.

i wash them in white

(paradoxically, covering them in paint

actually reveals their essence to me)

and hesitantly proceed

to add my contribution.

then i feel that even

this entire last paragraph

was perhaps not

entirely necessary.

forgive me.

then i add a few more images,

not even ironically.

and finally i say good night,

without further editing.

"a river runs through it"  detail

would love to hear your strategies for dealing with information overload!  please do share!

our lady of foreseeable risk

everything is new around here.

new life. new color. new adventures.

found confidence. renewed joy.

it starts off with feelings

of being overwhelmed,

fear, inadequacy, so little sleep.

then, bit by bit,

you do the work

and find that love sustains you.

you stop sweating the little things,

you lean in

to the built in moments of just being...

you grow into your true self,

without even noticing,

now that your focus is outside yourself.

welcome to motherhood.

"once we believe in ourselves 

we can risk curiosity,

wonder, spontaneous delight,

or any experience

that reveals the human spirit."

- e. e. cummings

"our lady of foreseeable risk"  30"x40" mixed media on canvas

the mixed media artist

if you don't know seth apter, you are missing out.

he is a delightful human, wonderful artist,

passionate community gatherer,

and generous promoter of other artists.

his new book,

"the mixed: art tips, tricks, secrets and dreams

from over 40 amazing artists"

is coming out this month.

i had the humbling privilage

to be featured amongst this incredibly talented bunch.

it is quite surreal seeing my work

and fumbling thoughts on the creative process

printed and in such great company.

i am unspeakably grateful

for the thoughtful soulful direction

in which seth's questions and prompts

catapulted my work.

the artists were invited to create two new pieces

inspired by specific prompts.

the prompts that inspired me were

"my shadow side" and

"below the surface".

i am including a couple of in progress detail shots

of that second piece and my thoughts

on what it evokes.

crash curse in thoracic surgery
the bits and pieces will fit.

take great care not lose even one,

torn and bruised as they may be.

hold them up to the sun,

one by one,

while whistling a familiar tune.

as far as the mending itself goes,

use what you have on hand.

it will do.

pause often for tea breaks.

in time, healing is sure to take its course.

eventually,

a new song will bloom,

just below the surface. 

_________________________________________________________________

to learn more about the brilliant artists

showcased in the book,

check out seth's blog for the series of spotlights

he is featuring in the month of october.

for a chance to win a free copy of the book,

leave a comment on any of these posts.

july. part 2.

 countdown to eternity & waiting on forever.  a diptych.

a month's worth of work.  a pictorial.

anchor for my wondering soul 12"x24"

lost and found 20"x30"

all the king's men  18"x30"

love story 12"x24" custom piece

on fire  32"x24"  custom piece

more daily poetry

 “may my mind come alive today
to the invisible geography
that invites me to new frontiers,
to break the dead shell of yesterdays,
to risk being disturbed and changed.”

— john o’donohue, from “a morning offering"

all the secrets to the universe 24"x12" diptych

july. part 1.

 my apologies for the lengthy absence.

july was packed to the brim

with preparations

for baby evelyn's arrival.

and with plenty of art making

and shipping.

i'll catch you up with two posts

on what i've been up to.

 

first, a walk through

evie's new digs.

turns out the nesting instinct

is no joke.

lamb pelt from tibet code on etsy & refinished vintage dresser

art i created inspired by some wonderful etsy artists

lovely doll hand made by my good friend ramona

babies love contrast!

"born free" - nightlight i made inspired by a gap onesie design

shel silverstein collection + the book that inspired the room's theme

little red mobile i blatantly copied from one found at acorn toy shop

all washed and ready to be taken on great adventures

stay tuned for an update

of what i've been up to

in the studio

in the next post.

poetic therapy

'healing with words' mixed media on canvas 11"x14"

 tired? worn out? in pain?

lost? hopeless?

just a bit confused?

need a break?

 things that heal:

lighting a candle

listening to the music of the rain

the warmth of another

writing it down

a cup of tea (with honey and lemon for extra points)

morning sunshine

water (drink it in, immerse yourself in it,

jump in the puddles)

time with your lovely self - intentional

playing in the studio - no purpose, just fun

that juicy piece of fruit

a piano and cello playing together

getting your hands dirty

giving without expecting anything in return

a good stretch

walking barefoot in the grass

the smell of camp fire in your hair

a glass of red wine

kisses - lots of kisses

a good cry

a good laugh

time

words

 

 quite exhausted 

after an intense week of work on the house.

we made room for the baby,

organized and cleaned everything in sight,

and are now ready to open our home

for lots of visiting friends

for a whole week.

a reminder of the things that

refresh and restore

is in order.

amongst these,

developing a new daily art practice,

loads of stitching,

playing with small abstracts,

finding poetry.

have a wonderful weekend, friends!

'give up' -daily poetry

'little things' -daily poetry

'words to fall' -daily poetry

a room for evelyn

 finding inspiration 

for a fresh dreamy space

for my sweet girl.

the title of this book

(by catherynne valente)

sums it up pretty well:

"the girl who circumnavigated fairyland

in a ship of her own making"

there will be whimsy,

adventures, magic, cute critters,

warrior princess spunk,

and wonderful new worlds to explore.

 

1.gold star cloud mobile by baby jives co

2.hedgehog cutie by glad o art

3.paper mâché wolf by abigail brown

4.vintage vanity set at sadie olive

5.victorious print by the black spot books

6.little red mobile at acorn toy shop

7.vintage mirror and brush set at bluey loves cocoa

8.driftwood boat by yalos

9.mountain range cushions by acordion apparel

10.vintage marble globe at harmonicajane

11.white felt deer by two sad donkeys

12.falling star collage by sushipot

13.felted pillow sheepscape by dellalana

14.moon engraving astronomy print by the curators print

15.searching from neverland print by esther from the sticks

16.new france antique map print at maps and posters