Found: Whispered Truths

I recently came across these beautiful bracelets by Jodi Bond in her Etsy shop.  I cannot decide which speaks to me most...

1 /// 2 /// 3 /// 4 /// Shop /// Blog

(edit: I picked #3 in a moment of impulse when I came across a similar message today...now that I think about it, I came across that message twice.)

Messes

A month ago, I read Thrashing About With God by Mandy Steward.  That led me down a rabbit trail of her blog and that led me down a very long, very exciting rabbit trail of art journalers.

So I went hunting for the Prismacolor pencils I once bought in an I'll-be-an-artist spurt that ended with my first bad drawing and and pulled out this journal I've scribbled in before, but always felt inadequate for and said FORGET IT.  I'm going to start scribbling with a few pencils.

Then I stumbled across this darling e-course called Art, Heart, and Healing, and so I got a five-dollar set of watercolor cakes at a local craft store and once again said FORGET IT and took on week one's lessons (shared here).

And now I've pastel-ed and watercolored something almost every day for a week.  My kitchen table is a mess and so is my desk in the little upstairs room that's become my creative haven and I love all the mess.  I love the bright paints and the white pages ready for ink splatters.  I love the words on the pages and the way I'm embracing the imperfections there because the messy makes the whole a little more tangible.  I love that I'm not a capital-A Artist, but I am an artist because I am getting something down each day.

And I've started Instagramming constantly. Sorry about that (but not really sorry).  It's like a log-book of all the things that are art in the everyday.  Sure, it doesn't reveal my messy kitchen sink or the fridge I really need to clean out or anything like that, but that's not the point.  It's more like a scrapbook, holding bits of each day and a few too many pictures of my dog.

I wrote awhile ago that I was on a journey this summer to find my voice, and I think I've found a snippet of it.  I have to share it a little, too--sharing it is an essential part, in fact.  and I'm thankful for this little blog and its tiny audience, because it creates a safe sharing space.

No. 52: Rules for Living, No. 3

Find words to live by and share them.

This weekend, my "good words" board on Pinterest somehow attracted tens of thousands of followers.  I don't know where they came from or why or how many are even real people, but it made me realize this: we are drawn to good words, words worth living by, and we want to share them once found.

Words are powerful, whether written or spoken.  Choose your live-by words carefully, and share them, and live them.

8x10 Van Gogh Quote print by oh my deer on Etsy

No. 48

The outside temperature is decently over a hundred degrees plus humidity, and only summer poems seem appropriate for this weekend.  One of my favorites, discovered during my first college summer, in the quiet moments with poetry that living by yourself provides, is this tiny yet compelling bit from Emily Dickinson (but of course).

To see the Summer Sky

is Poetry, though never in a Book it lie --

True Poems flee--

Have a happy weekend, friends!






p.s. I got into my master's program!  Thanks for all the happy thoughts and well-wishes! 


Image by Michael Garbutt of Elgarbo Art and Elgarbo on Etsy, available here
& my favorite Dickinson poem
& more Dickinson quotes here
& be my friend on Goodreads!

No. 47

I just discovered the incredible work of Sayuri Sasaki Hemann via The Weaver House.  Hemann describes her work on this project, Underwater Aquarium, as an exploration of "the concept of being 'out of context' or 'displaced' by recreating a jellyfish aquarium in places where you least expect."

That unexpected element, even when viewed on my computer screen, is exactly what makes this breathtaking installation at Portland International Airport so bewitching.  I dare you to visit the post on The Weaver House and Hemann's website and not be entranced--and as ready to catch a flight to Portland as I am.  

Image by Kelty and Hannah of The Weaver House (don't you love their branding work for Hemann, too?)

P.S. Sorry for going silent (again).  I got wiped out by an allergic reaction on Sunday and wasn't up to anything by the time work was over yesterday.

No. 19

Sometimes, all I want to do is dream about faraway and/or imaginary places.

These photos by Roberto Rubalcava (which I think I found via Ill Seen, Ill Said, but I can only seem to find it on Miss Moss now) are of real places, but feel a little bit imaginary.

The last three days have been crazy, but today is quiet and has given me time to get things done.  Now I'm off to read so I can visit those imaginary places for a little while.

All images by (and property of) Roberto Rubalcava.

No. 15

A line of products featuring the work of Kelly Rae Roberts caught me for a good twenty minutes (I ran out of time before they closed) at a local craft store recently.  I saw the words on one piece--they read "What sets your heart free?"--and had to see the rest.  After a good while on her website, I simply had to share, because I think her words and paintings will speak to you, too.

I tried to pick a favorite, but I couldn't.  Fearless (top) might be the one I love most--goodness knows I am a person who ought to be more fearless--but Lost in Gentle Memories (just above) stirs my heart and kickstarts whatever it is in me that wants to create something...

Roberts calls herself a possibilitarian, a word she takes from Dr. Norman Peale.  I love it.  It recalls one of my favorite Emily Dickinson lines--"dwell in possibility."

Have a happy Friday, friends, and let's all try being possibilitarians this weekend.  Just imagine what could happen!

[all images from Kelly Rae Roberts' shop; credit her if you share them, and see her great take on crediting sources here]

No. 12

I'm a little in love with these prints by Swedish artist Maja Lindberg.  The Little Red Riding Hood print appeared in my Etsy taste test and I was enchanted instantly.

This one, The Swing, makes me sad in a happy sort of way, as if I can connect to her sadness in my memories but also tell her that it will not last forever.  Maybe I see my more wistful teenage self--sad at a moment, but soon to be cheered.

However, this is the one that I'd love to own the most.  It's simply Beneath the Stars.  I get that wonder every time I look at the sky at night, and the girl's upturned face captures her expression without having to show it.

Lovely.