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Recovering a Childlike Spirit

My sister’s daughter, my sweet 5 year old niece, gave me a bookmark the other day.

One that she had made herself. It was a hybrid rectangle/square (I know, your math brain is freaking out right about now. A rectangle/square isn’t possible! But, oh, it is. It really is) cut out of pink construction paper and she had drawn, with gel pens, a little pastoral scene, with a tree, grass, butterflies and two unidentifiable objects in the tree with hearts between them (The unidentifiable objects turned out to be Owls).

My niece gave it to me, saying, ‘It’s a bookmark!’

My sister had to clarify, ‘She’s giving it to you. She’s really into making bookmarks lately’.

I exclaimed how beautiful it was, and to me, it was. She was so excited about it!

My niece is truly a little artist. My sister says she draws ALL the time and I have been gifted several pictures from her (The flamingo one is my favorite!).

On the back of the bookmark my niece had written her name. But not just written her name…she used a different gel pen color for each element…for example, she has an ‘M’ in her name and each hump of the ‘M’ was a different color. Such detail! Such thought!

Getting a picture, or bookmark, from her is truly a gift. More so than just the object itself, but more the spirit in which it is given. My niece loves to draw and has no qualms about showing her excitment about her pictures and giving them to you. She has a childlike spirit in her art that I often think we lose with age. I’m sure many studies prove it. I know I have.

I’m working on a series of book covers I am now terming my ‘Light’ series. And working on these covers has been a true joy. It’s been FUN. After hearing my pastor’s sermon last Sunday on Phillippians 2:15 in which he urged us to ‘Pop out as lights’ in the world, this series of covers ‘popped’ into my head. And I took the idea and went for it almost immediately (It’s not often I can say that about an idea!!). After working on a few of them I showed my husband with a grin on my face…I was excited to share them and show them to him. Yeah, sure they may be painted white dots on handmade black bookcloth, but to me, it’s the sense of joy, of childlike pleasure that I got while creating them. It made me HAPPY!! I felt like I was recovering in me a sense of childlikeness…something akin to what my little niece experiences when she gives me a handmade bookmark.

Last week when we were on a plane to Cabo a little girl was sitting in front of us with her mom. As the plane took off the little girl said excitedly, ‘We’re flying!! We’re flying!!” It made me smile to see her enthusiasm and joy in something that I actually don’t like doing. Again, that childlike wonder, that childlike spirit, jumped out at me. Joy in the moment and joy over something grown ups take for granted.

As adults, how often do we put stresses on ourselves in our creativity and art that were never meant to be there?

For me, the answer is WAY too often.

One of the ways I feel like I can recover a sense of childlikeness in my creativity is:

1. Just going for it!

2. Not worrying about the outcome!

3. Bob Rossing it and saying, ‘There are no mistakes, only happy accidents’

4. Using my new motto of, ‘It doesn’t have to be perfect’

5. Creating simply for the pleasure of creating

What are some ways YOU can recover a sense of childlikeness in your art and creativity?

Self-realization

Now that I have come to realize that I AM a writer, it’s been easier to write.

Somehow, someway, it’s easier.

Why did I not realize this sooner? Because when I look at this realization, it seems obvious. I’ve written most of my life. Not necessarily fiction or poetry, but creative writing is just one aspect of writing, not the end all be all of writing. That, also, may seem obvious.

When I mentioned to my friend a month ago, over lunch, that I was a writer, she was pretty much like, ‘Of course’. Like, she already knew that I was…

Maybe it was just an ah-ha, self-realization moment for me personally.

Why did I realize this sooner? I’ve been writing for much of my life. Mostly journaling, though.

And maybe that’s why I haven’t thought of myself as a writer until this year. I mostly wrote in my journals for my benefit, for processing my inner thoughts, etc. It was just for me. Even though I’ve always been better at expressing myself through the written word, in letters to friends when I was a teenager, to notes to my mom, thank you cards, etc. In tests I took in high school the assessment on my written skills were through the roof…way higher than anything else I was graded on.

So, I’ve accepted it and it’s easier and enjoyable to me, like I’ve found some sort of purpose and hidden calling.

I like that.

I’d love to hear from you. What have you discovered about yourself in the creative realm recently that may have seemed obvious to others, but you’re just now realizing?

Improving with Age

“The art of Gandalf improved with age.”

This line stuck out to me as my husband was reading “The Lord of the Rings” last week.

Ever since I read in Erwin Raphael McManus’ book ‘The Artisan Soul’, chapter 5 to be exact, where he talks about the idea of craftsmanship being built over a lifetime, and how the world has this idea that if you don’t hit greatness at any early age (Like Mozart or young Olympic gold medalists), you’re past your prime and won’t amount the anything (P.S. It’s not true).

McManus really unpacks this idea that it takes a lifetime to hone your skill and make art into true craftsmanship. And while this may be discouraging to some (“I’ll never get there! Why does it have to take so long?”, etc), I find it highly encouraging.

I find it encouraging because I don’t have to be there yet. There is room for improvement. I’m always learning, always growing, always trying something new and there’s always things to be explored and tried and experimented with. I’m still working on it, I myself, am still a work in progress, so why do I think that my art wouldn’t be?

Improving art with age is a great comfort to me. I, by no means, have reached some peak of craftsmanship or perfection in my creative pursuits. And knowing that it really only CAN get better from where I’m at is also encouraging.

It will get better, that is, if I keep working on it. If I don’t work on my craft on a regular basis, it’s not going to get better.

That can be discouraging too, or encouraging, depending on how you look at it.

I often tend to look at it as being discouraging, ‘I don’t have the time to work on my creative pursuits’ and often it’s true (Or maybe I’m just bad at time management).

But I think if I look at this as encouraging, that it WILL get better with time, no matter how little or much time I work on it (And some seasons allow more time than others), if I keep doing the 1%, then it will get better.

So, be encouraged, friend. There is more to be explored. There is more.

Gleaning

The other day I was scrolling through IG and came across some ad, as you do, promoting ‘The 3 biggest mistakes people make on Etsy’. Click bait, and, of course, I clicked. I knew what it was about, to a point, some lady who made X amt of money her first yr on Etsy and by the second year made Y amt of money, ‘and here’s how I did it!’

And, of course, if SHE did it, YOU can do it to; no tricks, no gimmicks, just buy this course for Z amt of money and she’ll reveal all.

I didn’t buy the course. But I DID listen to about 45 mins of her webinar. Most of it was blah, blah, blah boring stuff like what I just mentioned (‘I made This Much and You can Too!’) with testimonials to get you to want to buy the course. She DID however mention the three mistakes (Not building the site/business you want, taking too much time tweaking SEO without changing anything else abt the shop, and looking too much at your numbers/following. There were other interesting things too, but no so much that I bought the course. I just gleaned from the webinar).

I will be the first to admit that I tweak my SEO too much, so she’s right about that!

But what I really gleaned from listening to the webinar was ‘Just do it.’

You want to be an artist? You want to make books, write stories, make podcasts, encourage other artists, make a living from your art, paint, design cool things, etc, etc. whatever all…pull a Nike and ‘Just do it’.

I complain that I am overwhelmed and tired and don’t have enough time to do what I really want to do (ie, make books, collaging, mixed media pieces, writing, etc)…and yes, to a point, I really am.

And yet, WHY DO I WASTE TIME TWEAKING MY ETSY SEO WHEN I COULD BE MAKING BOOKS??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

But I don’t want to MAKE MORE books when what I’ve made hasn’t sold. When I sell what I’ve made, THEN I’ll make more. Where is the logic in that???? I’m talking to myself here, I really, really am.

If I want to make books, MAKE THEM.

Sure, put them on Etsy and do all the SEO, pics, share them on social media, this and that and the other that you need to do, but first and foremost, do something you love doing and don’t get bogged down with all the admin stuff. YES, SEO and admin stuff IS important, but DON’T LET IT SUCK THE LIFE OUT OF YOUR ART. Or your life. Or your heart.

I say this because I HAVE. I have let the admin stuff bog me down. I’ve wasted too much time on tweaking things and not doing what I love. I’ve let ‘Why isn’t anyone buying my stuff’ keeping me from doing the process that I enjoy doing; the things that give life to my heart and soul, the things that God created me to do.

I’ve let how many people like my shop or follow me on IG take me away from what I love doing. ‘Because I have to post! I have to get more followers’.

NO. No, I don’t. I really, really don’t.

The people who are going to be interested in what I have to say, make or create are the people who are actually interested in what I have to say/make/create. No matter how few, no matter how many.

My goal when I get home from vacay? Just do it. Stop wasting time on things that don’t matter, and make time to do something I really love doing.

P.S. I really do love blogging, so I definitely don’t consider this a waste of time! Peace.

Recommendations

So now that I’ve posted that I don’t receive any type of compensation from anything I recommend, here is a list of four websites I would like to recommend because they have been inspiring to me on my creative journey.

Uppercase magazine – I am on the designer’s email list, I am not a print subscriber to the magazine, however one of these days I may bite the bullet and become one. SO MUCH creativity packed into her emails, magazines and her series of Inspiration books.

Makers & Mystics Podcast – This is so my heart! I love their podcast. A couple years ago I was listening on a more regular basis and it was ‘meat’ to my creative heart. I think I listened to their first one at least three times…so much to chew and digest! The podcast is in conjunction with The Breath & The Clay artist’s group.

Matt Tommey Mentoring – Art mentoring and so much more. His calling is to ‘raise up an army of artists’ for the glory of God. And he’s done a good job of it. 😉

So, go for it and check them out. Be blessed, my friend. 🙂

No Compensation

I’ve been thinking of this lately…how there are things that I put in my blog (Or want to, or could put in, or may put in at some point) that could be construed as me potentially getting compensation from.

This is one reason why I haven’t put a lot of links in, as of yet. I am not against getting compensation, however, I desire my blog to be ad free (As much as possible. I’m on the free version of WordPress, so I’m sure some ads are inevitable) and I don’t want to clutter what I’m trying to say with a bunch of adverts trying to sell you this, that and the other.

So I want to make it clear from the beginning (Or almost the beginning, since I’ve been writing for months now!) that, at this point, I do NOT receive any compensation from anything I promote.

Having said that, the ONLY compensation I would receive is if someone happened to purchase something from my Etsy shop or from my body care co, Ruministics. Those are the ONLY two things I would receive any type of compensation from. And I put these in just to be clear with what they are. Plus. I like my businesses and DO want to share them with you! Whether you buy something or not is totally up to you.

My goal in writing this blog is NOT to have you buy something from me. My goal is to share my heart with you. To be open, honest and raw with where I’m at in life and what I’m going through and to encourage you in your art and life. My goal in writing this blog is also for personal reasons…healing can come through words, to process life and thoughts for my benefit as well as to share my experiences with you. It is NOT, I repeat, to get you to buy anything.

If that changes, I’ll let you know. But know, from here on out, that if I recommend anything, it’s not for personal monetary gain (Barring what I’ve already mentioned). I’ll probably repeat this more than once…esp. after recommending something!

I realize this is more of a ‘housekeeping’ type of post, but I feel it has to be said. 🙂

Travel in the Time of COVID

A couple weeks ago when we were in Cancun, on our last night there over dinner, Adam said he should write a book called ‘Travel in the Time of COVID: The unauthorized sequel to Love in the Time of Cholera’.

I laughed. But, he has a point. We’ve been married four years and have been to a few resorts in Mexico since then, but this last trip was very different than others I’ve experienced.

I don’t know if you’re an introvert or extrovert, but let me tell you, going to Cancun recently was an introverts paradise.

No one was there.

And I say ‘no one’ loosely. Yes, there were guests there. But not nearly as full as what I’d seen in the past. And that wasn’t a bad thing. To a point, anyway. Yes, the resorts need business, but it was cozy and still fun. Adam has had clients recently who’ve cancelled their trips due to the fact that not everything is open and there wouldn’t be much to do.

I would argue that there is still plenty to do. Where we stayed, El Dorado Royale, was right next to two sister properties, and BECAUSE OF COVID, we were able to visit and enjoy some of the amenities on their sister properties which under normal circumstances we would not have been able to do.

They didn’t have buffets, everything was al a carte, but still very delicious.

They still had pool and beach wait staff.

We took a private bike tour of all their properties (Only private because no other guests joined us). Our guide was very knowledgeable and sweet.

All the staff wore masks and they had signs everywhere about how they were sanitizing, etc. Masks were optional for guests, and I did see people wearing them. However, it was almost unnecessary, except in closed spaces, simply because there were so few people there. Why wear a mask when no one is around?

All menus were available through their app; paper menus available on request.

They only restocked the mini fridge on request. You had to be out of the room when the maids were cleaning. Social distancing was easy. Hand sanitizer was everywhere.

I think the hardest part of travel recently has been having to wear masks in the airport and on the plane. It’s just not fun. Necessary, but not fun. And if you don’t wear a mask (Over mouth and nose), you might be regulated to the airline’s ‘do not fly list’, so they take it very seriously.

Our last night in Cancun we ate at the Italian restaurant. We asked to be seated outside. It was a lovely evening, the breeze blowing, the cafe lights lit, the sound of the waves in the background, a three course meal with their house wine, good company.

I would highly recommend it.

I also would recommend using a travel agent. They know what they’re doing, know how to navigate the system, have relationships with the hotel staff and can get you little extras you may not have been expecting to make your trip that much more special (Think private transfers and skipping the line of hecklers that are outside every airport). This is not to say you have to use my husband as your travel agent (Obviously), but do use one. It’s worth it.

Writing and Sojourning

It has been a really long time since I’ve written. Or I feel like it has.

Currently, I’m in Cabo. I’ve been waiting for this trip to have some time and space for writing and reflection.

A couple weeks ago we were in Cancun on vacation. That was vacation. This trip is different. This trip popped up out of nowhere it seemed in late Aug – – a work trip for my husband (He’s a travel agent. Sounds cool, but being a travel agent during a global pandemic sucks). Usually spouses of travel agents cannot go on their FAM (Or Familiarity) trips. However, due to COVID-19, the hotels in Mexico are hurting and have plenty of space for guests, so off we go. It seems weird to me, because we were literally just in Mexico and now we’re back?? This doesn’t usually happen. In fact, if you had told me 10 years ago that I would be married to a travel agent and go on yearly trips to high-end resorts in Cancun and Cabo I don’t think I would have believe you. But, it happened.

Why am I not at the pool or beach right now? Like I said, this trip feels different. It can be difficult to find time write at home and so I was really looking forward to having time to write Plus, it was a long-ish travel day and my body is pretty achy. And I was just at the beach. But don’t worry, I’m on the balcony and the waves are gorgeous.

It’s been a busy couple weeks. I launched my new packaging for my body care company, Ruministics. My hope it is to do more wholesale. One thing at a time. It’s finally out, the website is up and it’s a huge relief.

What else have I been up to while I haven’t been writing?

We did an IUI in the middle of last week, in hopes of getting pregnant. That’s a stress and an adventure. Driving to the clinic I told Adam, “This is an adventure in marriage”. It felt weird, it felt strange, and again, 10 years ago if you would’ve told me that I would be doing some sort of fertility treatment, I may not have believed you. But we did.

It feels really good to write.

Seasons: II

So my pastor mentioned Seasons in his sermon on Sunday.

I was talking to my husband about it later. He said that looking at life in Seasons is a very Christian-ese thing to say and do.

I, honestly, was surprised.

Seasons being a Christian thing. Really?

And maybe I was surprised because I’ve been indoctrinated – – if I tend to run in circles with friends who are believers in Jesus (Which I mostly do) then I hear it all the time and it becomes normal and think that everyone else in the world thinks this way too.

Obviously, not that’s not necessarily true.

I think for me that ‘Seasons’ in life has really meant a lot to me over the past 10 – 15 years (As I mentioned in this post), so I don’t really even think about it being odd, or a Christian thing to say. It’s just a fact of life. We go through one season into the next.

My pastor, in his sermon on Sunday, mentioned that people tend to say, ‘I’m really in a season of brokenness’, or ‘I’m going through a season of weakness’.

His point was that a ‘season’ isn’t exactly correct because our entire lives we live in brokenness and weakness because we are human.

And while I totally get what he was saying and totally agree with him, I think that there are times in our life (aka, seasons) when we are more aware of our brokenness, when we are more akin to feel our weakness, have more of a realization of how vulnerable we are or are more atuned to pain in our lives.

And I think that’s what I, at least, mean by seasons. Yes, our entire lives consist of brokenness, but there are times when we feel that brokenness more acutely.

Seasons of life don’t always have to painful; there can be seasons of joy, peace & love, seasos of reflection and contemplation, seasons of busyness or stress. It’s life. Things come and go, times in our lives come and go, seasons of life come and go just like Spring follows Winter.

Reason or Not

I met with a friend the other day over lunch. In the course of our conversation I mentioned that I had been blogging. My friend also has a blog too that she’s been writing on for a few years now.

So I mentioned that I had a blog, and an Instagram page that linked into it, and she was like, ‘Why don’t I know about this??!?’ Or, in other words, ‘Why have you been holding out on me?!?”

I’ve been thinking about that question the past couple of days. Why didn’t she know about Land of My Sojourn (LOMS)? It’s not like I’m specifically trying to hide it or anything…or maybe I am.

This friend is also one of my favorite friends, so the fact that I hadn’t mentioned this to her before was probably remiss on my part; to my defense this is the first time I’ve seen her since before the new year (Thanks, or not, to COVID) and this is the first real chance we’ve had to catch up.

Why didn’t she know about LOMS?

I think it’s because:

One: It’s still new. I only just started writing since December 2019. It’s for fun, just a hobby, just something I do, in order to express myself, it’s nothing professional, nothing something I’m trying to MAKE happen, it’s just there. The dreamer, more intellectual, thinker part of me.

Two: I’m not necessarily telling everyone about my blog because I don’t necessarily want everyone to KNOW. Again, as with my journals, I’m not trying to reach The Masses. I don’t want everyone TO know. Some people just don’t care what I have to say or what I’m doing, and that’s ok.

Three: Maybe I don’t want everyone to know because it might hinder my self-expression – I can’t be FREE to be myself – I would tend toward people pleasing and think ‘What are other people going to think about what I have to say’ and so therefore NOT say it and therefore remained blocked. It would lead more to TRYING, instead of just BEING and I have too much trying in my life already and need some things to just BE. No pressure, just there.

Although I don’t necessarily want Everyone to know about LOMS, I do want YOU to know about it and I do invite you to comment. Let’s start a conversation.

Let’s start a conversation about Comparison in Art, Self-Expression, Self-Negativity and Confidence.

Let’s start a conversation about What Inspires You, What Do You Do, What is Your Creative Process.

Let’s dialogue and be friends.

Let’s have fun.

I’m a big fan of growing things organically (Food and otherwise) and I think that, in a way, is what I’m trying to do. I like mystery and puzzles and piecing things together and I think that if someone is really interested in what another person does they’re going to follow the rabbit trail of linking…IG to Etsy to Blog to whatever else pops up in the future. Maybe this is my roundabout way of filtering who sees what. From a business perspective it’s awful, but again, this is not a business. It’s just me.

Four: My friend had mentioned that she didn’t want people necessarily critiquing her blog and I agreed. And I think that’s another reason I don’t want Everyone to know about LOMS. This is self-expression and, along the lines of #3, if I was worried that someone would be critiquing my writing style I might not be so free. This is just me. This is just me.

If, in the future, this somehow turns into a book, that will be the time to get writing styles in order and critiqued and that’s ok. That’s good. Because if something is REALLY going to be Published, then, yes, it needs to be gone over with a fine-tooth comb to make sure everything flows and makes sense to the reader. I’m not there yet. This is just content. A writer has to have content. The first rule of writing is to write and that’s what I’m doing. Critiquing, if it comes to that, will come in it’s own time.