Departure or Arrival?

I am ready to once again set out on a long car trip (only a bit over 700 miles this time). Am I leaving home or arriving at the opportunity to journey beyond? Arriving at the ocean will be a departure from my usual setting and I look forward to embracing the possibilities that await. But first, many hours of I-95! 

Pottery and potatoes!

One potato, two potato, three potato, nine...today I harvested the first of the red potatoes and they are beautiful! My problem with fresh produce is that I often would rather create with it than eat it. Hopefully, I will be able to satisfy my need to create with a few pictures and then relent to scrubbing these up and serving them with a little salmon and a salad perhaps!

Opening

When throwing on the potter's wheel you start with a lump of clay. The clay must first be centered on the wheel--but it is still a lump of clay at that point. It is only in opening that the lump can be transformed into something other. A bowl, vase, plate, mug, planter, cup, or jar all start with the act of opening; fingers pressed to the center move the clay to its new shape. This weekend, I have opened a shop on Etsy. This opening also leads to a new shape as I work to move my artwork into a broader space. On the wheel, the piece must remain centered as it is opened and throughout the entire process for a piece with integrity to emerge. Pottery is an excellent metaphor for life as the same is very true for us as well. Center, open, transform, and keep coming round to the center for integral peace.

Chairs!

Finally, the chairs that I painted last fall have been sealed and are ready for the yard. This week's weather is perfect for sitting in the garden with a tall glass of lemonade. Ahhhhh, summer!

Befriending Time

As another week draws to a close, I am challenged by how to best respond to the speed with which summer is slipping by. Whether measured in minutes, days, seasons, or years, time seems too often in short supply. What I am coming to understand is that when I worry about time's passing, I lose the minutes that I do have to be in this summer season. Each moment, there is an opportunity to be present or to wonder where the time has gone. And so, I begin again to be in time.

Summer!

Nothing says summer like a vase of zinnias fresh from the yard!

Filling

The other day, I posted pictures of possibility. Today I wanted to share how some of those spaces are filling in--and filling me up. Spending time with a paint brush and pot of paint is quite full-filling!

Shelf Life

I have often found that when my outer spaces are organized my inner spaces tend to be more organized as well. Today, I turn my attention to the tall bookshelf that holds all my pottery. The contents of this shelf are beyond capacity and the pieces spill out across the floor. There is no organization here! As I move toward opening a shop on Etsy, I know that the life of this shelf needs to become a bit more ordered. Feels better already--outside and in!

Possibility!

I combined a trip to Artscape today with a trip to the art supply store for canvas and white paint. Seeing the work of other artists always makes me want to come home and create! These are some of the blank spaces awaiting me that are a beautiful picture of possibility. 

Arming Snowmen

This week Baltimore has been embroiled quite literally with a heat wave. It seemed to be the perfect moment to begin ‘arming snowmen’. This project does not need to be finished until the seasons roll round to winter, but today--just the idea of snowmen makes it just a bit cooler.

What Was I Thinking?

After posting my first entry yesterday I woke up this morning with this question: What was I thinking? A blog?? And, there is excitement about this project along with the incredulity. So, here is the thinking that supports this project: I am wanting to be more intentional with using my time to engage in art and hope that this process will facilitate both clarity and accountability, I am also opening a shop on Etsy with my pottery and hopefully some other creations and thought that a blog would be an additional way to connect with visitors to that site. It is also my wish to connect with others--not only to share what I am doing, but also to get to know what they are doing.

Poetry is often how I arrange words to know about the world. This poem written last spring speaks to this (ad)venture into the world of blogging and stepping into this space where I hope that I can both define and explore life as I know it to be.

The Key

the key 

to opening

any door

hinges

on one’s willingness

and courage

to move

beyond

action

is necessary

a turn 

around

a push

 through

a pull

toward

a step

into

the waiting

space

welcomes

with arms full

of possibility

Arrival or Departure?

It seems that life is often about arrivals and departures. For me, it is sometimes a challenge to tell them apart. Last Saturday I drove 919 miles. I left one home and headed for another. It was a long journey, but a familiar one. I had the GPS and I had traveled this way many times before. I knew the places to stop, the places where the road was curvy and where it was wide and straight. Today, I am embarking on a different journey. There is no map and I do not know the final destination--or even how I will know when I reach it. I am setting out in the moment and will tune in to see the sights along the way. Travel in this manner is certainly a departure from how I generally move through my days--and, it is an arrival as well!