When I put my Etsy shop on “vacation mode” in 2021, it was originally because we were selling almost everything we owned to live in an RV full time with our 3 kids and a dog while my husband finished his PhD. Little did we know, I’d also spend the next 1.5 years recovering from a stroke and relearning how to walk. Living minimally in our RV allowed us to get rid of the larger overhead and upkeep of owning a home, and allowed me to heal and wake up every day on a beautiful lake.
My priorities shifted to surviving and breathing each day as it came, while still not able to fully be present in the moment because I was constantly trying to physically and mentally make it to the next moment, or trying to forget the current moment because it was too painful, or stuck reliving a traumatic moment from the recent past; flashbacks would come and I’d remember something that happened during an ambulance ride, a seizure, waking up from the coma, abuse from a nurse, and more things I’d be stuck watching on replay in my mind. I, Melissa, wasn’t fully present for so much of 2021 and 2022.
But now the PhD is finished. We’ve traveled across the country from Alabama to Washington. We’re living in a beautiful home with tons of space. Nick (my husband) has his dream job. The RV and truck sold. A new minivan purchased. And now we can open our eyes and let out our breath and take it all in.
Getting back into creating art is one of the ways I’ll be slowing down into the present. I have a feeling that I’ll be leaning into the process more this year, with the art guiding me instead of planned finished pieces. Abstracts really allow me to flow more in the process, so you’ll probably see more of those.
Be here. Be where you are. All in where you are being. Open heart & open eyes to embrace it and see it all. That’s my goal and hope for me for 2023.
Here’s some recent art pieces I’ve created and am trying to decide if I like them and if I’ll put them on my Etsy. I’m feeling rusty after so long away.
Your work is beautiful! I am glad you are in a place where you are ready to share it again.