Windows to the Inside
Summer's Sustenance
The summer solstice is upon us. This means that basically half of the calendar year has passed. Our longest periods of sunlight have arrived, along with stretches of days with higher temperatures. These times feel endless.
I can putter around in my garden later into the evening and play music deep into the night.
I can walk ankle-high through our creek and feel the cool water rush through my toes.
I can quietly read a book in the morning when the sun rises even earlier than usual.
These are the gifts of summer, and I embrace them wholeheartedly.
Meanwhile, the world outside of my hollow in the Tennessee woods is fraught with danger. Immigrants are being disappeared across the country, and we are on the verge of war with Iran, a country that I believe is actually not the enemy (that title deservedly belongs somewhere else).
I always turn to art and music as my refuge. In these realms, I have freedom to roam and safety within myself.
Have a look inside.
COLOR NOTEBOOK
I drew a fluffy parrot in WPR colors.
ABSTRACT FLOWERS
In my head, there is a parallel universe in which plants have adapted to thrive in extremely harsh environmental conditions. They are resilient little creatures.
THE BOOKS I AM READING
These days, I flip-flop between fiction and nonfiction quite literally. I am reading two very different books on alternating days. The nonfiction book is The Gift by Lewis Hyde, and the selected fiction is a recommendation from a friend called Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang. Normally, I only read books one at a time, but I am genuinely curious about how my brain will simultaneously process two completely unrelated works of literature. (I am hoping this will help me carve out newer neural pathways within my own creative brain.)
TEXTILES
Finally! I finally finished an embroidered sunscape that I started back in January. To be fair, there have been long stretches of time in which I did not even touch it.
But alas! Here it is! Yay!
Also, I was able to use the different sewing machine my mom gave me a couple of months ago. (She took back the one she gave me originally.) This one is extra fancy with all kinds of knobs and gobidy-gook to fiddle around with.
My two young nieces perform with a Samoan dance troupe in Nashville. They wear full-body traditional outfits called “Puletasis.” I was asked to adjust the sides of the tops to make them fit better. My work was far from perfect, but I did it! This made me very happy.
Creating art and cultivating a craft is as much about serving my mental health as it is about making beautiful objects. The inherent and ongoing learning and the sense of accomplishment give my life more purpose, joy, and a sense of peace.
The world could certainly use more fluffy parrots, sunscapes, and strange flowers.
This summer is giving me everything.
Upcoming Shows
Corner Wedgewood
Nashville, TN
July 23, 2025
I really relate to everything you’re saying. Thanks so much for sharing with us!
Abstract flowers ✅