I Just Had To Share

Into Womanhood, Latina, USA American, East Indies, Creole, Mandarin, West African and Muslim young women carrying the moon out of a blood red cave based created by the silhouettes of 2 women's torsos. I just got a new camera so I promise better quality pics coming soon.

Many of you have figured out that I love color/colour + diversity along with exploring ethnicity and culture. Well I just read this artist originally from India's interview that I really wanted to share.
http://enkoart.wordpress.com/2014/07/08/raman-gill/ 

I love the Thought Mia from Enko puts into her interviews. Many of my artist friends have been featured and it is so fun learning whole new sides of them. My mom even learned a new side of me after my interview. Here is part of an e-mail she sent me.

..."What a gift.  I am a bit stunned and I am sitting in the comfort of the deepness.  Your words are tumbling within my being. I feel like I have been at the table of one of my ancestors but you are my descendant!  

The memory that comes up was of my taking you to the ocean to collect clay for your art project.  And, I remember the thoughts of that day of feeling that our ancestors before us did what you were doing that day and you were carry-ing the lineage of our people.  I feel so peacefully subdued in the voice of our people. "...   

In case you did not catch my Enko interview my mom was referring to here is the link. 
http://enkoart.blogspot.com/2014/06/artist-lavaun-heaster-birthplace-bay.html

And for any of you artist who have not signed up yet go check out enkoart something amazing will happen as you learn about yourself through the process.

Is iIt Ever OK to Stop Producing Art?

No recent post because I have not produced anything for awhile. No art in this post just a update as to why nothing new recently with a question at the end that I would love to hear back from you.

Me questioning and thinking, I spend a lot of time in my head!

 
I struggle because I keep reading about how you should keep creating every day even when you are not inspired. It is not a lack of inspiration with me just a sense of overwhelm where I can not figure out how to fit art into the mix.

My normal pattern is to work, work, work on my various community organizing and art business stuff along with juggling finances without adequate resources. Eventually I hit the burn out place where I need to shut down and clear some psychic energy through creating art. Unfortunately right now I can not find my way back to creating art.

I have this vision of lowers filling a crater which came after I heard the growth on my eyelid was benign skin cancer. I felt like this thing on my face had burst forth into an overgrowth which made me think of my wild out of control yard. Even with all the limitations placed on me since the surgery to remove "my overgrowth" I can't make myself sit still and create this piece of art.

Gil "the boyfriend" and I 4 or 5 years ago

Then there is the overgrowth I mentioned in my yard, this is taking up tremendous space in my mind. My housemate/6 year committed relationship is moving to follow his dream of a very late career shift from electrical engineering to lab science  I feel pushed into some tough decisions because even though he told me this was coming I did not make realistic financial plans for survival.

Selling my home means I have to clean out 12 years of overgrowth in "stuff" and deal with the yard of overgrowth.

Yes I can get another roommate and limp along with my leaking roof and foundation until hopefully "he" returns to Portland and we can start a new life together. I am getting clear that it is time to step out and stop the $ bleeding of an old house from my former life when I had a good paying job. I love the familiarity of my home but I can not afford it and am hoping for enough equity to downsize into an artist loft http://milepost5.net/lofts/photos/. What a huge change that has to happen ASAP.

It is also time to stop waiting for the relationship to provide a stabilizing presence "he" lives a life where a house and family have never been his priority. I have watched so many others work through these really difficult transitions and have been here before but somehow it has me paralyzed right now. 

How do people work and function when they are having health complications and major loss all at once? I know artist are suppose to take the pain and chaos and transform through artistic expression but that has never been my intent. I think it often happens with us intuitive artist yet art as therapy usually takes distance and time for reflection with me.

Action always makes me feel less stuck so maybe after writing this or meeting with my friends for brainstorming an action planning enough space will be cleared for art to come back.

I really am curious how do others process through the hard times and stay on track?