Hello again to all six of my subscribers!
To be honest with you, I didn't even know there WERE six of you! So thank you so much for being interested enough in my art and my journey to hit that button! It means so much to me! I've never been very good at putting myself out there. I wish I could just make the art and have someone else do the dirty work of selling it. But I digress. I'm taking a break from the heat of the day, but I still wanted to be productive and thought now would be a good time to update you all on what's been going on since my last post.
A Year of Endings and New Beginnings
Britten and I have officially been on the property full time since February. Letting go of the kid's childhood home was WAY harder than I thought it would be and I went through a period of pretty bad depression and grief. It hit me hard because I wasn't expecting it. This is something I've dreamed of since my early twenties, and it finally came true! The kids are supposed to be independent and away from the nest. But I guess everyone grieves the ending of such long and meaningful chapters. The kids are doing great considering the state of the world. They struggle to pay bills, but they are surviving and growing. the grief and depression have slowly subsided, the weather got better and I started spending every waking minute outside working on the gardens.
The Garden Became the Studio
I keep thinking, "I'm not making art!" but in reality, I AM creating every day! The big upper garden has to be at least 2500 sq feet, and it was just an overgrown plot with tall grasses, weeds, and blackberry brambles. Both gardens were. I planned and sketched and started seeds in a makeshift greenhouse. I fought back the brambles and knocked down the weeds. Britten and I mended fences and repaired gates. We have hauled about 30 yards of composted steer manure and dumped them in the beds. There are vegetables growing in almost all of them now, and medicinal, tea and culinary herbs in the smaller garden. All that's left is filling in the perimeter for pollinator strips and filling in the pathways with carboard and wood chips. Honestly the hardest part is finding enough cardboard to cover the whole thing! Nothing is getting done as fast as I'd like, but I'm feeling healthy and fit, I'm learning the seasons, the native plants and animals, I'm failing at some things and succeeding at others. People call this "The Slow Life" but I've never worked harder in my life!
Building a Space for Creativity
I haven't picked up a paintbrush in months. I don't have the time or the space, and all my supplies are packed away in a storage container waiting for the shop to be built. The framing is going up now, but Britten and I are both restless to start making jewelry (and money) again. It's going to be a big shop, so there will be space for welding, ceramics, painting, sewing, leather working and whatever else we decide we want to try! I guess it's a good thing it's not done because we really do need to focus on systems right now. The soil, the irrigation, the fencing, the future animal shelters and security systems for those future animals all need to be worked out. Not to mention the brush clearing for fire safety. Still, every wall that goes up feels like another promise to my future self. Someday it won't be a construction site, it'll be a place where ideas become real! I'm planning on creating all winter!
New Endeavors
In addition to AAAALLLLLL that, I started another business that survives off the land. It's called "Nutty Wolf Naturals" and I'm enjoying it very much! I gather things from the property respectfully and responsibly and I sell them on Etsy. Things like dried cattail reeds, dried iris leaves, cedar, lavender and rosemary saining bundles, pressed fall leaves, hornet nest paper, and herb, spice and spell component jar labels are all products I currently have. I also have calendula seeds and petals that will eventually make it to my shop as well as other natural seeds, and herbs. So, even though I'm not painting, sculpting or making jewelry, I am creating a beautiful life every single day!
Picking Up a Pencil
We all know that an artist is an artist is and artist, and sometimes we have ideas that absolutely MUST get out so we don't lose them though. The only supplies I have on hand are a drawing pad and mechanical pencils! So I have done a few sketches. Nothing crazy or earth shattering, but I figured I'd share them here because after all, this is my art website! So here are a couple little teasers of things that may or may not become paintings in the future. Enjoy! And thank you again for being a subscriber! You guys made my day when I saw that I had any, let alone SIX of you!
