On Simplicity and Smiling

🌸 beauty and being

I started this newsletter with a lot of words and lofty ideas about capitalism and overstimulation and the attention economy and how I grapple with perfectionism and what success means. I realized that those words were a lot of disclaimers to justify what I really wanted to share and how I wanted to share. 

Spring is here, and I feel like every flower reminds me that God is real and close to me.

I have been trying to do all the wonderful and fun things I am always inspired to do when I am in a relationship or am in love. When I’m in love I feel like my brain can think of a million adventures and actually has the motivation to make them come alive. It is so wonderful to share the magic of an adventure with someone. But I am trying to take baby steps towards maybe going on a big solo trip, it started with going to the movies alone and yesterday I took a day trip to Providence. At the RISD Museum, I found this giant wooden carving of the Buddha; this carving felt so alive almost as if I could see his belly rising and falling in line with my breath.

On my train ride home I read Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh and Queer Love in Color by Jamal Jordan and cried. It was wonderful. Here is a short excerpt from Being Peace:

Smiling means that we are ourselves, that we have sovereignty over ourselves, that we are not drowned into forgetfulness.

"I would like to offer one short poem you can recite from time to time, while breathing and smiling.

Breathing in, I calm my body.
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment
I know this is a wonderful moment.

---

🎨 art and offerings

I was so happy this week because I had giclee (a very fancy word for high-quality ink) prints made of my artwork for the first time ever! I’ve had a really hard time drawing for the past 8 months and it feels so wonderful to come back to the practice. It makes me so sad when artists think that they have to stick to one type of art form because all of the art in the world feeds each other. I feel like my return to dance has nourished my ability to return to drawing. So if you are feeling stuck in the creative practice you’re most attached to or feel the most “serious” about - my biggest advice to you is to try a new creative practice!

Prints are now available for order on my website.

🌟 upcoming workshops and classes

• Yoga Class April 28th, 8-9pm EST

• Intuitive Drawing Workshop, April 30th, 2-3:30pm EST

• Individual Workshops (by appointment and sliding scale options are available! Offering one free workshop every month to a BIPOC artist or creative and still have a spot open for March!)

✌🏾journeying away from social media

After seeing 3 TikToks about climate change and curling into a little ball and crying under my fuzzy blanket I realized (once again) that maybe social media isn’t the best place for my mental health. I tell myself “I don’t compare myself to other people on social media!” and then find myself staring at follower counts and wondering how in the world will I ever be a legitimate artist and writer in the world if I am merely in the thousands (?!?!? 🤦🏾‍♀️)

I have been craving something real and in the flesh and messy and have been thinking a lot about the idea of “enough”. How can I have abundance by accepting that I have enough? What does my enough look like? How do I give myself permission to do the things I want to do without justifying it by a number or award? I’ve been thinking about how social media sometimes feels tied to material security for artists and creatives (or happiness, accomplishment, and whatever else we’re convinced we don’t have) and how to not buy into that idea!

One of the ways I feel like I’ve been able to step away from platforms like Instagram has been through this newsletter. So from the bottom of my heart - thank you. Thank you for letting me into your inbox and maybe even reading these little words and ramblings and for receiving an expression of my heart. I send you courage and love and faith as we navigate the complexities of our dreams and desires. I hope you experience the happiness and cosmic wonder of simplicity. I hope you smile today.