It’s been ages since I’ve written here. I can hardly believe my last post was over a year and a half ago. I’ve always been such an avid writer, but it seems for the past year or so, this took a back seat. I’m not quite sure why exactly.

So much has gone on. I’ve traveled the country twice now. I’ve lived in a camper for the summer. I’ve felt the bellowing ache of losing my oldest brother suddenly. I’ve had my first art sales over $1000. I’ve jumped headfirst into all sorts of new mediums and found myself lost in the joy of making art with nature. I’ve hit a rock bottom with anxiety enough to land me in the ER. I’ve been through so many highs and lows… And somehow out of that, I’ve grown more solid roots in myself than I think I’ve ever had before.

That last statement might just be where my absence of words comes from. Somehow in this time of so much life happening, I’ve found my footing in a whole new way. I’ve found myself not needing words maybe for the first time in my life. Not needing to say every single thing that comes to mind. Not having to write everything out in order to figure out my life and my emotions. I’ve found, instead, this steadfast thread within me that is able to just “be” so much more. Less analyzing everything little thing that stresses me. More chasing every little thing that fascinates me. I still don’t know where this came from. I began on an SSRI medication last year for anxiety for the first time, and I also did some very in-depth therapy sessions for past traumas. Maybe it was one of these, or a combination of the two, or something else entirely. All I know is that my mind is quieter than it has ever been before.

This has all fed into my art in wonderful ways. I’ve stopped overthinking my work so much. I’ve stopped being so concerned about where I am on my journey as an artist or with my career as one. I’ve mostly stopped worrying if things will sell, or making them only because I think they will. Instead, I am making things I love and just seeing what happens when I put them out there.

I’ve started truly following what excites me more and more… leaning in to making art in unison with nature. Focusing on that beautiful sort of communion and honoring of the natural world I love so deeply. I’m creating eco-prints and cyanotypes - ways to use plant matter to create beautiful, dreamy prints. I’m making more ceramic work and experimenting always with ways I can incorporate natural objects into the process. I’m about to try my hand at some basket weaving incorporated into clay pots, for example, and I can’t wait to see how that goes! And I’m still and always photographing nature… endlessly, capturing small moments of my life with nature through the lens, as I have done for so many years.

I don’t really know where I’m going with this post… I suppose I just wanted to say hi to everyone out there. To say that I am yearning to share a bit more about my process, my journey, and all the ways that nature has guided me this year. I’m hoping to get back into the swing of things from here on out and post more often. Until the next time, I’m wishing you well!