.spring equinox.

Happy Spring Equinox! It feels like the weather is a little bit ahead of the days, with 70 degree temperatures this past weekend, it feels like we jumped into summer. It's interesting with such a small space between a snow storm on the first weekend of March and 70 degree days, there's been little to no transition between the dark cold days and the increasingly long and warm ones. I can palpably feel the swell in energy. The hibernation is over and I jumped out of bed. 

I went paddling last weekend and not yet ready to head home, ventured out on a hike after. I'm ready to be outside all day. I found a copy of my favorite regional books, Washington's Channeled Scablands Guide and making a list of all my spring hike aspirations. I love the energy of spring. The wonder of finding wildflower blooms, the flash of color in the muted Shrub-Steppe landscape. Yesterday I saw the very first balsamroot petals emerging. It was the best surprise.

The Power Path says the equinox "marks and anchors a new path, a new trajectory and allows for the creative current of the time to forge its way forward and support progress as we envision the future." What creative projects are emerging? I feel like my head is overflowing with ideas. I'm also hungrily reading several books lately. 

Projects:

- Finding local color, inspired by a class with Alice Fox

- Finishing a winter sky inspired textile piece in response to a piece I made last year

- Walking memory - an exploratory abstract drawing from walks

- Basket weaving

- watching the spring wildflowers emerge

Books:

- Community: A Structure of Belonging by Peter Block

- The Cassandra by Sharma Shields (a Spokane author I met at the recent library conference)

- Coyote Stories by Mourning Dove, a Colville women

- Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzales

 I lit some candles yesterday and made some spring wishes. I'll leave you with a beautiful spring quote by Andrew Doerr, “A spring night is a power that sweeps through the crowded sheaves of blooming tulips and pours into your heart like a river.” 

.spring equinox.

Happy Spring Equinox! The moment with light balances the dark. A time to check on all those seeds (intentions) that we planted in the winter. 

Are they budding?
Are they being nourished?

It's a time to stop and honor the light and seasons. We are embarking on spring (despite the threat of a snow storm in Boston tomorrow) the light is returning to us, the days are growing longer and flowers are waking up - blooming. I love this transition, its reprieve from winter isolation to me - newness (birth). It's an important time for us to look inwards, remember all those seeds and s l o w down to ask ourselves "am I putting my energy in the direction I want to be headed?"

This week has been full of emotions for me! The transition of being back - processing the newness in an old space - the reconnecting - the expectations of connections that didn't happen - the isolation of city life...so many moments of realizing how much I give my energy to sources that drain me. So many moments of realizing that I actively search distractions in order to not look inwards. So many moments of not investing my energy in feeding/refueling things.

Why don't I choose myself? 
Why don't I invest in myself?

I still don't have a daily schedule here so I just started going to the studio to work everyday. The first day I didn't know what to do. The second day I kept melting everything. The third day I decided to focus on one thing, an old object. The fourth day I keep focusing and soon that one thing started blooming - opening - consuming my thoughts - growing into an idea/process/collection.

connection

This project has evolved into a new AEO line, connection focusing on the process of examining one form from different perspectives while also processing these moments of connection in our life with places - things - people. The idea that everything is a string of tiny connecting moments - sometimes we have multiple connections to a place or person and something it's just a moment.

I'm feeling so new in this process of art. I'm so grateful to feel this new hunger and drive to dig into an idea/design with an open curious mind as more of an observer than I have been able to be before.

More to come.