Wednesday, September 21, 2011

art fair this saturday!

hi friends!  i wanted to let you know that i'll be participating in the saline harvest of the arts oktoberfest again this year.  it's this upcoming saturday, september 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.   if you're in the area and can stop by, i'd love to see you! 

this is a great family friendly event.  in addition to the art fair, the harvest of the arts will include a bier garten and german food favorites, fireman's chili challenge, baker's nook kinderplatz, culinary students' bake sale, hands-on activities for children led by the scrap box of ann arbor, adult hands-on art led by the two twelve arts center, all day live music on the main stage and local stage, and more!

well, i'm off to package up some prints, but i hope you're having a good week - and i hope to see some of you on saturday!  much love!

Friday, September 16, 2011

2 months later

hello!  so, it's been two months since i've posted on here.  where has the time gone?  i've been busy with fun things - a sons of anarchy themed party for my sister's birthday, an art camp for kids at our friends' church, a trip to newburgh, NY with rick for a gig at the orange county choppers' headquarters... but there have also been some not-so-fun things going on, too. 

ever since some health issues came up last fall/winter, i feel like the momentum i had been gaining regarding my art came screeching to a halt.  part of the last 10 months or so has been me just figuring out how to get through the day.  clearly, not every day is just about survival, but that's definitely been a piece of this season of my life.  being in pain, being exhausted, feeling pretty awful - it's been difficult to feel very creative, let alone have the energy or motivation to do the work (like creating new art, updating my etsy, posting on my blog).  treatment options are pretty bleak, and it's been hard to be hopeful about my health situation.  there are days i feel fine, days i feel great, but there are a lot of days that i don't.  rick's been gone a lot this summer with the band, and as thankful as i am that he's working, being at home alone this much when i'm feeling the way i've been feeling hasn't been the easiest adjustment.

i feel guilty when i look at my workspace, because it's been so long since i've created anything new, and i feel like there's so much i "should" be doing.  as a friend put it the other day, "art has become very loaded" for me.  i have an art fair next saturday (i'll post about that soon), and i'd hoped to have completed a lot of new work to share there, but that just hasn't happened.  i've been looking at job postings, thinking that maybe if i had a day job (and income from it), i'd feel free to create, and it would become a joyful, pleasurable outlet for me again.  with the way i've been feeling the last several months, though, i've been wondering if i can realistically work full time.

there are so many things to figure out.  what do i do about my health situation?  can i push through some of the pain and fatigue?  what do i do about my art?  do i get a day job?  if so, what kind of job? 

and then it hit me the other day - where's God in the mix?  i've been trying to sort all this out on my own.  i think about asking Him for help, but then i feel like i shouldn't until i've got my stuff together.  until i'm reading my Bible more.  until He and i are "okay."  if a friend said the same thing to me, i'd tell them that that's not truth, that God wants them to return to Him, that He loves them, that He's pursuing them... 

this past week i feel like i've been reminded that God meets me where i am.  He's been reminding me of what is true.  even in the midst of the hard stuff, there are joyful moments.  time with rick.  new friends.  laughter.  the beginning of fall.  the desire to paint, not for the purpose of selling, but for my own benefit and expression.  He blesses me when i'm not looking for or expecting it.  He's patient and tender and gracious to me.  i don't have all the answers to the questions i've been asking, but i have hope.  and, at least for today, that's enough for me.

when doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.
psalm 94:19

whatever season you're in right now, i pray that God would be your comfort, and that He would fill your hearts with hope.  much love to you, friends.