23 August 2012
20 August 2012
04 August 2012
25 July 2012
Oh Susannah (Conway)
Two weeks ago I had the great privilage of meeting the woman behind all the Unraveling I've done over the past two years. Susannah was even more brilliant and funny and oh-so real in person, and I will treasure having been in the same room as someone who has inspired so much of my journey toward self-love and creative growth. She just wrote her first book, This I Know, and if you haven't read it already, then I highly recommend you do. I've documented much of my Unraveling journey here on my blog, so if you look back at my archives you will get a small, though wildly incomplete, idea of what Susannah's book is about. She writes so beautifully and has a wonderful way of pulling you in and hugging you with her words. Below are two small portions of the excerpts Susannah read to the small crowd of 35 people intimately packed in Kelly Rae's studio in Portland two weeks ago, and it's an understatement to say Susannah stole my heart...
An Ending, A Beginning...
"There wasn't any particular moment when my healing began, but moving back to the coast gave me the head and heart space I needed. I've never regretted leaving London the way I did. It also meant I was closer to my oldest friend. There were many evenings when helping Madeleine make dinner for the kids was the most soothing balm I could have wished for, the constant noise and chatter bringing me back into my body and aware of what day it was. Children are so alive, so in the right now, like little Zen masters in Spiderman pajamas."
The Art of Belonging....
"The day of his birth is a story shared between my sister, her partner, and me, our mother waiting outside the ward, a twenty-six hour transitin from before to after, the final ten-hour stretch fueled by laughing gas for my sister and endless sandwhiches for me. As my sister drifted in and out of consciousness, I have never been more present than I was during those last few hours. I took photographs of the delivery room so she could remember the place where her son was born; I held her hand through the contractions; I stepped away to let the new father hold his son. I saw his little face come out, and watched the slippery smallness of his body carried up and over into my sister's arms. And I didn't know it at the time, but my heart opened right then in preparation for what was to come; if I'd listened closely I'd have heard the bandages rip."
12 June 2012
Crush of the Week: Girl Crush Portland (with Lisa Golightly and The Jealous Curator)
This past Saturday I attended Girl Crush Portland with the very lovely Lisa Golightly and my all-time favorite blogger, Danielle Krysa (aka: The Jealous Curator), where I met some wonderful new friends and found some much-needed validation after the previous days’ chaos.
The morning started out with yummy coffee, pastries, and getting-to-know-you conversations that quickly turned into a beautiful three hours full of sharing our stories, empathetic head-nodding, and an exercise from The Artist's Way to help us reach deeper into our passions. I keep thinking back on the morning and am amazed at how quickly I opened up to these women I had just met. I'm not usually so quick to give it all away up front like that, and my first reaction is to feel uncomfortable with such quick vulnerability, but these women weren't just anyone. I felt like I'd known them my whole life.
After taking a mid-day break and devouring a delicious lunch, we went down to Lisa's studio where we created collage pieces on beautiful Plywerk panels. We consumed more coffee and enjoyed sweet mini cupcakes while continuing our previous conversations between bouts of quiet concentration. The time went by way too quickly and I was sad to say goodbye, but I am grateful to have been part of such an encouraging and lovely experience. Here’s a little peek into our day…
The Morning...
The Afternoon...
15 May 2012
Whatever Happens is the Only Thing That Could Have Happened
About a month ago I went with some girls from my book club to hear Anne Lamott speak in Portland. It was the first time I ever went to listen to an author and I can’t imagine a better person to start with than Anne. She is funny and real in ways that help me feel less alone and like my insanity isn’t all that abnormal after all. Everyone who showed up to hear Anne talk got a signed copy of her new book, Some Assembly Required, A journal of my son’s first son, which she co-wrote with her son, Sam, and which I just finished reading last week. Anne is one of those authors whose books I can’t help but ruin. The once pristine pages of her books are permanently warped with dog-eared corners, underlining, and giant tear stains. At first I didn’t think I’d enjoy this book as much as her others because I am not a grandma - yet. But I was wrong. These are some of the best quotes I’ve heard in awhile (though it took me a while to find them again amidst all the tear stained pen marks)…
“Sam is still every age he ever was…and Jax is already every age he ever will be…”
“Grace is a small white butterfly, and life is a semi trailer careening up 101.”
“You can’t jump until you sink down a little. And when you are aloft, there is always such dark and sad stuff underneath, below you. But if you touch down into it first, it helps you get aloft.”
“I hate to be the person whom people have to protect themselves from, as Sam had to do all those years, as all kids have to do to some degree.”
“I was reminded of the four Immutable Laws of the Spirit: Whoever is present are the right people. Whenever it begins is the right time. Whatever happens is the only thing that could have happened. And when it’s over, it’s over. It was over.”
On the Stations of the Cross: “Also, it is all of life – you walk, you fall, you get up, you go on, you fall, you get up, you go on, you die, you resurrect.”
(P.S. I also went to see Davis Sedaris two weeks ago - which I will write more about later - and I will be going to hear Susannah Conway talk about her new book in July. 'Tis the year of authors!)
25 April 2012
Face to Face
I recently applied to have my artwork included in a gallery exhibition called Face to Face, and even though my work wasn't accepted into the show (queue disappointment) it at least motivated me to create three multi-media paintings that I'd been meaning to create for awhile. And since I have all this white space sitting right in front of me on my computer screen, I thought I'd have my own little showing as a way to affirm the work I did and also risk letting it be seen...
"Dear John"
"Dear Daughter"
"Dear Mother"
19 April 2012
Crushing on "Girl Crush"
It's no secret that I've harbored a passionate crush for Danielle Krysa (aka: The Jealous Curator) for sometime now, and when I found out earlier this year that Danielle was organizing small get-together's, called Girl Crush, for artists all over the country, I knew I had to be involved. The icing on the cake - not only literally since there will be cupcakes and pastries involved - is that Danielle is bringing Girl Crush to Portland on June 9th, and two of my biggest crushes will be there: Danielle herself and Lisa Golightly (aka: Kiki & Poly). This is a chance for local artists to "to walk away from our computers, and actually meet in person for a glorious, creative, pastry-filled day. To figure out a way to break through artist blocks. To get inspired, and recharged. To celebrate being women artists… and obviously, to have a reason to eat lots of pretty little cakes & tarts in the middle of the day!" And just look at what an amazing day Danielle has planned...
ART WORKSHOP + TEA PARTY
Portland, Saturday June 9th 2012
~ 14 people {including Danielle and Lisa} for an entire Saturday of creative fun!
~ 9am tea & coffee & pastries & chatting {kind of like a "pre-tea party" party!}
~ a talk by Danielle re: women/art/insecurities/inspirations
~ a talk about insecurities/inspirations from Lisa Golightly {a working artist who also feels blocked sometimes - after all, it happens to the best of us!}
~ everyone introduces themselves/share their issues {artist blocks, too many ideas but not executing any!, etc}
~ break into groups and do 2 to 3 exercises to help with these issues {just requires a fancy notebook & pencil, which will be provided}
~ tea party lunch {catered by a local restaurant/bistro ~ sandwiches & salads, followed by lots of fancy little treats!}
~ after lunch we'll make some art with lisa, based on our morning talk, and you can take it home and hang it on your wall - something nice to look at on those days when you are feeling blocked!
~ 6pm whoever wants to go out for dinner together can… but if everyone is pooped, we'll just call it a day. sound good? YES!
And if - God forbid - you're not familiar with Lisa Golightly, here's a sneak-peek at her amazing work...
If you happen to be available on June 9th you should definitely plan on coming, and if you're not available then I strongly suggest you drop your plans! Look at how awesome Girl Crush was in San Francisco with Lisa Congdon...
I hope to see you there!
18 January 2012
Looking Back at 2011
As I mentioned on Monday I don't want to get too far away from 2011 without sharing some of the things that - when pieced together - made up my life this past year. So today I'm sharing some of my favorite images and moments from 2011. Every year I can't help but look back on the previous year with gratitude for what has been and also for what's to come. Here's looking back...
January to July...
August to December...
Here's to looking forward to what we'll be looking back on one year from now. Happy 2012!