.t h i r t y n i n e.

 

 

I took a quick one-night solo camp trip to celebrate the beginning of my 39th year. I ventured to a new place, not far, but somewhere I've not been before, although it is on maybe my favorite stretch of highway in Central Washington between Coulee City and Grand Coulee. The landscape is just awe-inspiring. Surrounded by basalt rock formations and Banks Lake, rabbitbrush covers the land, along with dunes, and the entrance to the park has towering mullein that looks mystical in its striking height. 

I kayaked on the lake but hit a bit of a storm, so I already have plans to return to explore more. The rain stopped in the evening enough for a walk around. You can see the golden glow of the sunset in the pictures. I've been reading Osho, and he talks about the miracle of joy, not to take it for granted or fear it. I walked the campground with a mantra of "I'm grateful for the miracle of joy and connection." 

It has been a year of reconnecting - with myself and the people from whom I've disconnected. I'm so grateful for those moments over the past year. I'm open to what comes this year. I think that's my word for my 39th year - OPEN. It feels symbolic in some weird way, the last year before a new decade. I want to stay open to it all. 

.goodbye 2022.

 I started a small stitching project this morning, one last piece of 2022, a moment to reflect on the past year. It got me thinking about my relationship with making art this past year. It's been such a full year, but somehow I gave time to curiosity + creativity. I made it a priority to explore fiber. I wanted to reflect on the pieces I've made, so I looked through my pictures and was amazed to see much work I have done this year despite all the other demands on my time. I was also excited to see how I allowed myself to explore with the freedom this year. The pictures show a more expansive approach than maybe I've had before. I hardly made any jewelry, but I focused on fiber and allowed myself to push myself. I even took on a strange paper mache project, something I'd like to explore more when the weather warms up. I'm ending the year excited and curious about my art practice. I'm not sure where it will lead me in the new year, and that feels like success to me. I'm also working on a reading list to accompany my creative time that I'll share later. I'm also hoping to write more and blog more, to share and process. Happiest of new years to you and yours! 

Here are some pictures of projects from the year....

a quilt inspired by the silence of January made on some snowed in days with pine needles collected on a walk. 

a creative exercise, I collected the bark and leaves on a walk and composed this piece.

I made this little flag/banner after a rough few weeks with covid-19. I've never worked much with red but it's a color that really came into my life this year. I also made the fabric banner with tied fabric for the holidays. A simple project that brings so much joy to look at. 

I took an amazing class with Amy Tavern about design and made this piece after the class with found bark and steel that I made into a chain.

a slow Saturday winter project. I bought a drop cloth from a hardware store and then woven + stitched it. I love this and still playing with this idea.

In April I travelled to Eugene, Oregon and took a washcloth weaving class. It was so much fun! I totally fell in love with weaving again. I hope to make more in 2023.

This was just fun freedom! A wire paper mache project. Not sure what this is but I love the shadows and the alpha brain flow it allowed me.

.a decade.

Hello Dear Ones,

I haven't written much this past year. There's been a lot that needed attention and I didn't give as much time to reflection, which is usually what I use this space for. It's been a good year, an important year. Here I am on the very end of 2019 in awe that it's the end of a decade. It feels like so much and nothing at all. I don't believing in putting too much pressure on it - there's enough expectation in our world, but I was reflecting upon the last 10 years last night I felt very grateful for all the adventures that 10 years have held for me so I wanted to write down some of them as a thank you. I understand that I walk this earth a great deal of privilege. I'm grateful for my freedom and hope that my experiences help me to be a more understanding and compassionate being. 

Road Trips
I went on my first road trip in 2012 and took many more this past decade:

1. Washington to Texas (thru Idaho, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico) 
Highlight: Camping in Colorado during monsoon season!!

2. Texas to Washington (thru New Mexico, Arizona, California, Oregon)
Highlight: Solo camping in Joshua Tree National Park

3. Idaho to Massachusetts (thru Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York)
Highlight: Sleeping in a teepee at Devil's Tower in Wyoming, Badlands, and Ithaca, NY (I love that place).

4. Maine to North Carolina (thru New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia)
Highlight: Driving the Blue Ridge Parkway and Mass MOCA

5. North Carolina to Washington (thru Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho)
Highlights: Santa Fe, Palo Duro Canyon, Sand Dunes (Idaho)

Places I've lived in the past 10 years!

1. Wenatchee, WA
2. Seattle, WA
3. Arlington, WA
4. Malawi
5. El Paso, TX
6. Chicago, IL
7. Boston, MA
8. Portugal
9. Ketchum, ID
10. Essex, MA
11. York, ME
12. Asheville, NC
13. Leavenworth, WA

My Deepest passions of the past 10 years:

•  Metalsmithing: I took my first metalsmithing course in 2010 and haven't stop studying metal since.

• Maternal Health: I became a birth doula in 2010, started Midwifery school, caught 5 babies and attended 60 births and taught Sexuality Education in Boston, Idaho and Washington.

Top Moments

• Arriving in Malawi
• Catching babies in Texas
• Moving to Boston
• Attending the birth of my niece
• Becoming an Aunt
• Solo travel (BIG moments of joy were camping in Joshua Tree in 2013 and camping in Palo Duro in 2019) 
• Spending 3 months in Portugal taking jewelry classes
• Teaching jewelry after almost 10 years of learning the craft
• Starting my Master's program 
• Making art + sharing art for 10 years!!!

Thank you for being here. Thank you for reading. I hope that you have time to reflect on your 10 years, whatever they looked like I hope you see the beauty in yourself through them. Happy 2020!

.t h i r t y f o u r.

I always love to write something as I begin another orbit around the sun. I turned 34 on Tuesday this, whoa! This year held so much movement for me I wanted to journey the year again to remember it all, here it is.

My 33rd year was a wild ride of adventure - travel - big questions - dead end roads - unplanned journeys and new layers of awareness!!

IDAHO

I started my year last April celebrating my birthday in the mountain town of Ketchum, Idaho nestled at the foot of the Sawtooth Mountains. I lived in Ketchum for 9 months working at a Community Health Educator with Planned Parenthood. Most of my time was spent teaching puberty and sexuality education to middle and high school students at both the public and private schools. The experience was challenging and isolating but also allowed a flexibility to explore the amazing nature around me. The Wood River Valley is one of the most beautiful places I have ever lived. The foothills are blanketed with sagebrush and having grown up in the high desert of Central Washington I always feel at home where sagebrush grows. The position lost most of its funding and with fall approaching I decided to head back east for holiday art shows.

EAST TO WEST

It took 21 days for me to drive from Idaho to Massachusetts, camping 18 of those days and staying with friend on the other days. I remembered how the road is my happy place. Setting up my campsite and packing it up every morning was such a innate rhythm for me. I met a kindred spirit at Craters of the Moon, went fly fishing on the Teton River, slept in a yurt, slept in a tipi, fell in love with the mud pots at Yellowstone National Park, took slow walks along the madison river at dusk, moon bathed in a tipi next to the Devil’s tower, got lost in the cornfields of Nebraska, saw Georgia O’Keeffe art in Iowa, Slept next to the Mississippi, fell in love the with fingerlakes and Ithaca, Slept by a tiny lake in the Catskills and only had rain as I was driving into Boston. It was the most reinvigorating 21 days!

NEW ENGLAND

Coming back to New England was such a reflection to realize how much Idaho had changed me in just 9 months. I ached for the vast openlands and silence. I had a busy holiday season and reconnected with friends. I also continued to teach metalsmithing workshops. I love teaching these workshops and learned so much from teaching adult learners.

HOME

In January after 5 day delay due to a Nor’easter I arrived in Washington for a delayed holiday time with family. I spent my days hiking and soaking up the colors of Central Washington. I realize how the land feels like home to me. I created a personal residency during my time there, a quilt project. I took walks everyday, took a picture, translated it into a very simple design and sewed a patch. It was such a great project to get back in the rhythm of see - design - create.

MAINE

I came back to the East, to Maine this time to a small town 1 hr north of Boston. Due to my beloved turbo engine subaru exploding and being without a car for weeks I translated my quilt project into a brooch project. Now translating the designs from fabric to metal. I have 12 brooches made. I am so excited and proud of this project. There is no motive in this project except just to make - to tell a story of where I come from - to explore how to translate landscapes. I also was able to take a pie workshop from one of my favorite bakers and it inspired me explore baking more. So I’ve been baking a few pies every week learning and improving recipes.

NORTH CAROLINA

This all leads to the end of 33 and beginning of 34. I’ve moved to the south, Western North Carolina nestled next to the Great Smoky Mountains. It’s a special place for me with my Mom’s family being from the Tennessee side of the Smoky Mountains. I always feel connected to my Nana there, even after living most of her life in Washington Tennessee and those mountains were always home for her. I’m excited to explore the mountains more and to start a massage program in the fall. With over 10 years working in health I’m excited to connect bodywork to the experiences and knowledge I have gather my journey so far.

So much to unfold and learn this 34th year. I hope you are healthy and learning!

.new relfections.

It amazes me how one moment can change/refresh/illuminate something and slightly change the reflection of everything else. The past few weeks I have felt a lot of movement in my life - a lot of new reflections. I balance my time between reacting and sitting back curiously observing, trying to understand my feelings and my expectations and release them both.

Yesterday the city cut down the huge old linden tree in front of our house to prepare for more construction this summer. They say Boston has two seasons, winter and construction. The intense sun and muggy afternoons are finally back so construction season is here. I left the house in the morning and came back in the evening to find no tree and a home that seemed unknown. The entire street felt different - empty - stark - poor. It's amazing the influence of one thing in an environment. It made me think off all that I surround myself with and absorb - the perspectives and energies.

What do I pick up?
What do I expose myself to?

I'm headed out to the cape this weekend and so excited for a long quite drive by myself and some nourishing beach time. I feel like I process so much on long drives. Growing up on the west coast - long drives are just apart of life. Living in Central Washington you drive to Seattle, everyone does. 3-hour drive up out of the valley and up over the winding mountains and down into Seattle. It always gave me time and space and solitude - climbing up the mountains - thinking. Living on the East Coast for almost 2 years now I really feel how space/environment influences/effects humans and our interactions. The density of the East and the vastness of the West.

It's beautiful how connected me all are to each other - the seasons - the earth - constant movement - the impermanence of it all.