Dear reader,
In the midst of beginning a weekly newsletter, I have realized I need to take some pressure off of myself and reduce the frequency to twice a month—bi-weekly newsletters which will still occur on Wednesdays.
As I was writing my initial thoughts regarding the topic for this newsletter, I started thinking about simpler things. Fabulous French toast, breakfast burritos, and coffee. How nice the sprinkling rain felt in the summer season, a bird who reminded me to pay attention to my surroundings, and a tree who teased me by dropping a seed on my head.
I had just finished a book about noticing beauty1 and I was outside walking around my apartment building when something landed on my head. I looked down at the ground. It was a seed from a blowing tree. I looked up and saw the tree’s leaves dancing, it’s arms waving about. The tree seemed happy with the playful trick.
A few days later I was walking to the studio looking at my phone when I felt something quickly brush my leg. It was a bird who I had spooked. She was flying away when she flew into me. She reminded me I am living in her home as well.
This past Friday I was in a group show. The pieces I included were a portrait called “storm” and a piece considering the different bodies of animals, called, “bodies.” My friend who had come to the show said that she wanted to swim in the painting. We talked about how it would feel like swimming in mud—a slow and contemplative movement. I suppose that feeling has been something I have been picking up on. I have this desire to live slowly and intentionally. But as I have realized, that is not always the case.
a little over a month. During that period I learned a lot of patience. I once found myself working on the zine for five hours without stopping. At which point I realized I had not eaten. Ultimately, I believe this to be the main reason for an unintentional page which I had not noticed during the printing stage. Just like our muscles need time to recover after a workout, so do our creative minds.
Artists have a drive and commitment to finish what they started and sometimes it can get addictive.
This past Saturday I was also involved in a backyard market where I had a table set up of items people could purchase. This included small bunnies which I made from clay. I painted them pink and called them dream bunnies. I intend them to be dream guides; animals who arrive in our dreams to give us comfort and to show us the path of least resistance. Holding one is very comforting. Creating them is just as relaxing. It is a very slow and meditative process.
So, overall the past couple weeks have felt slow—like mud—and yet very busy and fast. Finding a balance between the two has been tricky. I think it’s complicated for artists because our work is our play. So my promise to myself this month is to implement weekly intentional fun: skateboarding, walking, a game night. Hopefully you can do the same, and I am very open to suggestions.
Love,
Mikaila
“Notes on the Need for Beauty” by J. Ruth Gendler
I want more more more!!!