Hi there Sweet ones,
Happy full super moon! It’s been ages since I wrote here on my blog. Instagram and Instagram stories have taken the place of blogging and its kind of bittersweet. I started my journey of becoming here on my blog. It was around 2005/2006 and blogging had just become popular. There were so many people sharing great meaningful content that I wanted to give it a try. At the time, I had no idea who I was as an artist and was suffering greatly with my mystery illness that I later found out to be lyme disease. I was feeling pretty lost and isolated. I decided to give blogging a try and thought that I could share other artist’s work and talk about what inspired me. I had never written before and didn’t really know what I was doing, but had to give it a go. To my surprise, I loved writing. The other surprise was that I started to share my personal thoughts and feelings about my illness. This was something that I didn’t do in my life. No one really believed me and I didn’t have anyone to talk to, so I started sharing it here in this space. It was one of the most healing things that I have ever done for myself and it started everything for me. There is healing in sharing your story!
Since then, so much has happened. I got married, I moved a few times, I had great jobs and left them to pursue my dream of being a self supporting artist, I got divorced, I found my artistic style, found agents, have had great success licensing my art, continue my physical/emotional healing journey, continue my spiritual journey and continue my creative life journey. It’s been an amazing ride so far filled with the highs and lows of life and I don’t think I’d change any of it.
Today, I’m living in a sweet little cottage that I rent on a 30 acre horse farm. It’s beautiful and magical. Brick floors, rustic beams, a walk in fireplace, and an amazing view fill my soul and make me feel at home here. I have an art studio about 15 minutes away in a cool old stone farmhouse from the early 1800’s. The building has a great little community of people with a coffeehouse too! Somedays, I wake up and can’t believe this is my life. Gently nurtured and manifested by me.
My Studio
I still struggle with not feeling well, but don’t let it stop me from living my dream. Truth is, I feel a lot better than I used to, but still have healing to do. So many things have taken priority over my health which sounds crazy, I know. I do however work hard on healing my emotional health and give great attention and healing to the reasons why I believe I became sick. I believe that by healing our emotional wounds we allow physical healing to happen. It’s a journey I continue to walk.
My business is doing well and I am getting ready for another shift in it’s evolution. From the beginning, I have been on this sort of quest that involves spirituality, art and healing. They have all danced beside each other and at times have mingled, but have never truly been bound together. I never had the clear vision of it. The timing wasn’t right, the art wasn’t right, I wasn’t healed… all things I would tell myself, until now.
The timing is right, the art has arrived, my healing will always be a part of my story and my spiritual journey can not take one more step forward without me totally embracing it. So here we are in this beautiful present moment.
It is time for me to combine my art and spiritual healing work together. Here are some things that I have in the works and some that will be starting this year.
I have already started with my intuitive symbol oracle prints. (I need a better name for them. Any suggestions?) I love creating and using them. I intuitively paint each symbol and scry it’s meaning. I hope to make enough for an oracle deck this year. I am really excited about my new altar series. I love having a physical altar space in my house. It’s a place where I like to meditate, get quiet and go inward. My altar changes with the seasons and wheel of the year. I love keeping my crystals there and my drums and singing bowls are always within reach. It’s a sacred space for me. I know that a lot of people don’t have space to create an altar which inspired me to create this series. You can hang the altar print on the wall and put a shelf under it for your offerings or you can lean it on the wall on a table. They are meant to be a beautiful backdrop to your altar or the altar itself. I am working on a series of them to honor the elements, the moon, goddess… my head is swimming with ideas. I have other meaningful art projects that I am dreaming of too as well as expanding on my intuitive painting.
I have been feeling the call to start teaching too. I plan to start offering workshops at my studio. I will be teaching watercolor floral classes of course, but I am really excited about teaching intuitive painting classes. I will be announcing the classes in February after I’m through with Surtex, the art licensing show in NYC. It’s my big time dream to evolve these classes into healing experiences. Art combined with meditation and energy healing. But first, I need to get started with teaching. I’m really excited about the possibilities.
There’s more, but this is where I’m starting. It’s a big step for me to fully align myself with my purpose. A purpose that has been slowly revealing itself to me since the day I got sick. I’m a bit of a slow mover, but I am finally ready to embrace it all.
I hope you continue to walk with me.
Big hugs and blessings to you all.
Were I still living in New Jersey, I would love to take classes with you. Being now in Ohio, I’ll follow however I can.
I see the angels and angelic symbols in your home. I still see signs all the time, but haven’t connected that to art, yet. Painting horses right now. Ah – but they are beautiful souls; maybe angelic.
Your writing is meaningful. And shows your spirit, strength and vulnerability. I would like to do some form of an alter. That idea appeals.
Thanks Karen! Yes, horses are pretty magical. The angel paintings will come to you when the time is right. Enjoy the process.