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This year I got something for my birthday that I didn't expect or know I needed. I got the gift of a good cry. A good, long, ugly cry is a gift. It is a release and a reset. What my ugly cry gave me was a chance to sit fully in the darkness and feel all the feels. There is a rawness and an authentic beauty in our tears. The restorative and calming qualities of a long cry will allow you to unburden your mind and your soul a little bit. These are extremely difficult and trying times and we need all the gifts we can get, even if it's the simple gift of an ugly cry.

Home for the holidays has an entirely new meaning this year. As we are forced to cut back on our Thanksgiving celebrations, this doesn't mean we should cut back on being kind, compassionate and patient. The need to feel loved and appreciated is something we all desire especially right now. Let’s go big with our goodwill and order up a large portion of hope and love to go along with our other dishes.  And if you need a second helping of something, may it be joy and thankfulness. 

 

The Summer of 2020 taught me to reach deeper and also stretch wider and further to be a better person. I learned to smile with my actions and my words since my actual smile was covered by a mask. I learned than an ordinary day is a gift and that there are always additional ways to give more than I receive. Success used to be measured by how many pieces of art I sold and how much money I made at art shows. It now means making the best out of every situation and every day, no matter how bad it is. My role models have become those who continue to give of themselves; specifically offering their compassion and their kindness to others. When I was tempted to shut down and withdraw, seeing the selflessness of others raised me up. Covid is still very contagious but so is generosity and goodness. 

My wish is that my art will be a small part of the solution. I used to focus on caring for the earth with each piece created. I now find it more important to expand this mission and focus more directly on spreading care, kindness, and compassion to others through my art. With so much loss, uncertainty, political and social unrest on top of pandemic fueled isolation, it is no wonder there is such a sense of unhappiness all around. It is an honor if I can use this platform and my art to encourage and promote more cheer and more joy. I hope this quote resonates with you as much as it does with me. "We are not on this world to see through one another, but to see one another through." (Gloria Vanderbilt)

 

As 2020 rolls on and Spring turns into Summer, I continue to feel confused and conflicted as to how to navigate this crazy time we are collectively...

As I witness the overwhelming pain throughout our nation and the world right now, I observe something that I saw in the aftermath of 9/11. I notice small shimmers of light and love from people of all socioeconomic backgrounds, race and nationalities creating a movement that demands change. Change based on reconstructing old narratives and obliterating racial stereotypes. Our cultural framework must evolve to ensure the safety, belonging and acceptance of all humans. This is the glimmer of hope that's will begin to pull us through this difficult and painful period. It is possible to begin the healing process in the midst of this grief. I have faith that our humanity can move us forward.

Rejection is an unavoidable, universal experience. The key to it is how I react when it happens. If I can resolve myself to keeping the big picture in mind, I will view rejection as a resourceful accessory to discovering my true path and not let it distract me from my genuine mission.

Around here, Monday is trash day. Monday is also my internal trash day, when I tend to be hardest on myself and give myself the least amount of self love. One antidote to this negative mindset is making art. Getting paint all over my hands, feeling the rough metal and holding the street worn nails; it's a connection to these materials that pulls me out of the Monday Blues and back to a reality that is rich with blessings. My paints, paint brushes and Found Objects pull me back to a happy place where self satisfaction and self love exist, free of anxiety and self doubt.

Although the fragmented, rusted materials I create with may apprear worthless and insignificant, they are a symbol of faith and hope and are an incentive to find goodness and celebrate new beginnings."