(Re-) Starting Where I Am

 Still missing my beloved. 

I've spent quite a long time being less creative than I'd like to be. Trying to change that this year. 
I won't try to play catch up on all that has happened since I last created a post.  
'Start where you are'  is a phrase that I have seen a lot lately.  It's quite helpful in getting me started on various things. 

My word for the year (and possibly for the rest of my life) is EASE. 
Starting where I am gives me ease. 

I've been weaving & stitching mostly. Knitting a little. Writing poems some. 

Last year, I was able to get into two exhibits at ArtsIlliana Gallery. And I sold all my pieces!  

The following were the three pieces in the Small Art 2025 show at the end of the year: 

   Blue Earth Dreams Herself At Peace , 2024,

  Cotton yarn, upcycled cotton & silk textile scraps, woven, stitched, braided

 

                                                               Stitch collage - Orange Circle, 2024,

                              Upcycled vintage kantha quilt scraps, layered and stitched, stitched to textured paper

                                       Adjustable Houseplant (For The Horticulturally Impaired), 2023, 
                                        Wool yarn and fiber, cotton cloth, cotton threads, wire, woven, stitched,
                                         felted, wrapped. Arranged in upcycled glass jar.

 

I am still a hermit. I still mask out in public spaces.  
I think I'm suited for a solitary, cloistered life. 
My days are quite busy. I'm never bored. I dress in clothes I love every day. 
I appreciate social media for connection with others, but more and more I am guarding myself from the worst of social media, from too much information. 

I am not unaware that world is on fire. Fascism rising here is real. Terrible, terrible things are happening. 
At 74, with some physical vulnerabilities, it's not in the cards for me to be on the streets right now. I'm contributing where I can, keeping open for opportunities to do more. 

Meanwhile, staying present. Grieving. Being grateful for many things.