Week Ten (March 18-24)

This week I tried to get back to my yoga practice while also going deeper into a meditative state in my art. Although my current stippling series is titled Meditations, I'm not always totally calm while dotting. I'm learning that my state of mind while stippling is just a more heightened version of my state of mind throughout my day/week/month.

So, I practiced yoga this week, cleaned my room, and checked myself when I started daydreaming too much (I have a habit of looking through countless apartments on StreetEasy that I can't afford right now). Basically, I'm trying to intentionally appreciate this current moment. Even though my studio (*cough cough* bedroom) is a pretty small space that keeps me from working on some larger projects that I'd like to, I'm very grateful to be able to create art that I'm proud of, to live in nyc, in an apartment, with people that are normal! A rare and special combination.

The collaborative collage is finally up and kiddos are adding to it!

I made a bunch of doodles this week, but I can't show those just yet...they're for a secret upcoming project :)))

Some final thoughts: because my first year+ in NYC (2017-2018) was tumultuous in so many ways (I was laid off from two jobs, quit three, left two unhealthy housing situations) I haven't felt very free. I've been so focused on trying to make enough money to live here and trying to find a place to live with people that respected boundaries that I haven't felt a whole & deep & continuous sense of freedom. But now, I have a job that I actually enjoy and free time to create more artwork than I ever have before. I am not making the amount of money that I expected to be making almost two years after graduating from a ~prestigious~ liberal arts college, but I am doing fulfilling work and when I'm not stuck in a victim mindset I remember that I am pretty free.

Now that I am acknowledging my freedom, the next step is to work to help others get to this place as well.