Time to Breath in a New Year
Begin Again
Hello, friends! Like many of you, I am heartened to celebrate the beginning of a new year… 🦋
2022 was a time of intensity for my family and me. Many new experiences were had— some jubilantly anticipated and others arrived out of the blue, challenging us to find new ways to cope and offer support, compassion, and energy as the days turned into months…
We experience the resilience and strength of the human spirit as we navigate through adversity with those who are in the center of it (sometimes gasping for air). This is no small thing!
I learned that energy is not boundless— I’ve fought this for a lifetime, but I get it now :). I took a break from social media and from connecting through my email and blog because all of my energy was needed in my own nest.
Despite wishing that I could keep all things afloat, I accepted that I could not (still working on not apologizing;)—step at a time! . Each of our lives unfolds unknowingly by the day, yet we often provide generous time and space to others while depriving ourselves of the same. Knowing there were not enough hours in a day to inhabit my usual way of life was humbling. And I share the vulnerability here because my art is about the truth of the human experience, and sharing through words is another way of connecting to your experience of humanity.
Several significant events that were pre-scheduled for 2022 were (miraculously) completed, despite them almost colliding with each other on the COVID-rerouted calendar! With relief and joy, I will share these with you…
(view on our land after an intense summer storm— yay for symbos!)
March began with a successful return to KY Crafted: The Market—Hoorah! It was my first experience actually being at the market when the public arrived (no revisiting of the horse and post en route to the market this time!). What a joy to return to this venue and engage with the artists and all the brave souls who weathered the snow to attend! I thoroughly enjoyed sharing my art and its makings with curious folks of all ages and was honored to have many pieces go home in the hands and hearts of new collectors. 💛
My introverted self realized that art fuels both the making and the sharing and I was energized by the entire experience (and then collapsed, haha, as all artists do at the end of a market!). I’m excited to → → → return to KY CRAFTED: THE MARKET, MARCH 11-13, at Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park— mark your calendars now to save the date— it will be here before we know it!
(This young woman brought “Reverence” into her home— the first acquisition of her private collection— 🥰)
March also brought the completion of SoulCollage®️ Facilitator training under the superb teaching of Mariabruna Sirabella, LMFT. Creating intuitive collages that coalesce into a deck of cards for self-exploration, insight, and growth, this mode of expression is accessible and oftren quite joyful and surprise-filled. I was inspired by the group work involved in the training and know it will be used to explore the intersection of art and healing both for myself and others. Stay tuned for future offerings and contact me, if interested, for individual exploration with me (in-person or via Zoom).
In August, my solo exhibition, “Inner Natures”, opened at the Janice Mason Art Museum in Cadiz, KY, after quite an undertaking to transport my sculpture across the state (two full trips’ worth!) and install my large show with many a hand helping!
(Artist life— artwork takes priority seating, haha… only needed this spot for 40 minutes until my son was dropped to school ;)).
I shared an artist talk about my work and lifelong use of art for healing, laying groundwork for my first workshop in SoulCollage®️ that weekend. A delightful group of women from the community gathered and supported one another as we dipped in and created and shared.
Tremendous relief poured through every fiber of my being six weeks later, after arriving home with all sculptures intact (in one trip, with not an inch of space to spare!), thanks to a huge mass of custom-made boxes constructed by my hubby and me during the previous 2 days. My spouse provided invaluable support as he helped with every facet. Our boys held down the fort and tended our 3 dogs and 3 cats for all 9 of the 11 days we were gone. Hooray for teamwork! Quite fortunate am I…
Eight days after returning from “Inner Natures” closing, I boarded three planes to travel to Australia for three weeks. After a few days acclimating to the 16 hour time difference in Melbourne and being blown away by the amount of art, culture, and diverstiy that exists in this city, I set out 3 hours south for two weeks of intensive training in Healing in the Clay Field for Adults— the second level of certification in Sensorimotor Art Therapy.
This profound training was led by founder of the Institute for Sensorimotor Art Therapy (ISAT), Cornelia Elbrecht, and her co-facilitator, Chris Storm. To meet and work with them in person after completing my previous certification in Initiatic Art Therapy in 2020-2021 (online) was a tremendous gift— it is amazing how fully radiant we humans are beyond the square on the computer screen!
Words cannot express the gratitude for all that was offered by these powerful warrior women through their generous sharing of knowledge acquired through a lifelong dedication to healing trauma. Cornelia and Chris diligently provided a safe holding of space for us to enter deep mind/body work, affirming the courage and determination of each woman as our group grew roots and blossomed into celebrations of empowerment. 🌸
Our training cohort had the rare privilege of being small, enabling us to dive deep into both the theoretical training and the experiential learning, becoming quite close in this precious time. We worked long days, with substantial breaks in the afternoon and between days-long modules to replenish and regroup, as it was work that called on all of the inner resources we had. One of the biggest lessons for me was learning how to pendulate between intensity and rest, as well as replenishing (quite timely).
The days off between modules offered time for exploring this wondrous part of the planet and gifted my body and heart with some of the most magical days of my life (more to come in my blog!). Letting loose to play and find adventure was joyful and liberating, which I vowed to remember upon returning home! I breathed in fresh green earth imprinted with kangaroo prints in the new spring grass, smiled upward at both blue and rainy skies, and scanned the horizon across clear blue-green ocean and below in the tide pools filled with treasures beneath my feet. All left me breathless. I felt both like I was in another world and that I had come “home”. Standing on the hills and shorelines and gazing all around as I breathed these sights into the core of my being imprinted memories I will never forget…
Graced by mobs of kangaroo who knew this protected sanctuary in Apollo Bay as home, they watched from the other side of our windows, bounding into the grass and standing stock still beside the rescue horses while we worked in tray after tray of clay. As we trusted our hands to lead the way, we experienced our own leaps of faith and covered tremendous ground. I miss these beautiful beings— both human and animal, and am thankful they now live on in both body and mind ✨…
The powerful energy on this sacred indigenous land was palpable and grounded the safety created within our committed group of women. I know the healing will continue to grow and radiate for the rest of my life. I felt it in every cell of my being and so hungrily soaked it up as our innately wise hands ventured into the unknown clay to find what was needed for repair, release, and enlivening.
Every single one of us emerged feeling more whole and changed. It was the trip of a lifetime and one which will continue to fuel my own healing, my artwork, and my work with others. If you would like to hear more about my experience at the Clay Field and Australia and see gorgeous photographs of nature, stay tuned for the blog post yet to come (subscribe to my blog here).
Ten days after returning from AU, I wrapped up the committments of the year and completed my third workshop with the Bluegrass Care Navigators (KY hospice), supported by the KY Rescue Fund and NEA Grant I received last January. Teaching SoulCollage®️ to bereavement therapists from across the state was a wonderfully connecting experience. Having worked as a hospice social worker, it felt natural to be with this compassionate group of dedicated individuals. It is good for those of us in caretaking roles to remember that we also need and deserve tending in order to remain balanced… We could all use more of that, eh?
I had full intentions of releasing my 4th body of work, “AWE” at the beginning of December. It is an especially inspiring theme, as all pieces are created from macro photography taken on my recent journey to Australia! Although I worked like a wild woman and completed most all of the pieces, life had other plans and I had to (once again) accept that it was not the right time for what I had hoped. Whew!
The EARLY RELEASE IS SET FOR FEB. 1 for those of you supporting me through this newsletter— offered with special prices for three days in gratitude for your continued support and interest! 🙌🏽 The collection will then be release to the public on the 4th of February.
Thank you for your understanding and patience with my infrequent communication. I am happy to have been able to finally update you on almost my entire year! If you made it this far— extra congrats to you (and look forward to more manageable regular posts!)!!
I wish you all much love, breathing room, and meaning in your year to come.
Love, Michelle ❤️
