Fall has finally arrived
Hello!
Welcome to my October Newsletter! 🍁
Happening now.
Fall has finally arrived. Even though it is currently 86 degrees in Sugar Land, TX the trees are dropping their leaves and telling us that it is time to embrace the next season. I've been able to spend more time in the studio since the last newsletter went out and I'm thankful that you are along for the ride.
If you saw my IG/FB post with 3 pictures asking you to guess how they're connected, you are about to find out.
Inspiring me.
I was listening to The Next Right Thing podcast by Emily Freeman. Episode 246: The Mindset Shift That's Changing My Work. In it, she talks about two ways to think about time: a Maker Schedule or a Manager Schedule. Makers or creators can favor larger chunks of time to take deep dives that move them forward in their process of creating. Interruptions are incredibly disruptive to this type of schedule. Managers favor segments of time broken up for each task throughout the day, achieving specific products or wrapping up projects. If you can cross more off your list, then you had a successful day. Becoming more efficient is key.
I am a planner girl and I love creating a schedule for the week. It helps keep me sane. I also thoroughly enjoy crossing stuff off my list. This week I noticed a lot of resistance. The Manager in me gets a little nervous about going into the studio and not crossing things off her list. If I spend two hours in the studio and don't emerge with a new painting, does it count? If I go into the studio every day for two weeks and don't produce a sell-able piece of art, what then?
In her podcast, Emily talks about discerning the next right thing by naming where we are. It is important to me right now to freely experiment and create without focusing on a finished product. I want to continue to sink into how I like to paint and how I express myself in the truest way possible. That takes time and the muse. Also, there are always going to be some bad days in the studio. So I'm going in the direction of freedom and gentleness and very loose expectation. I still want to produce and still want to sell but that's not my highest priority right now. Let's see what happens.
Nourishing me.
I have been interested in learning more about embodied living. Dr. Hilary McBride's book, The Wisdom of Your Body is next on my list. To help myself take moments to notice how my body is feeling or experiencing, I bought new essential oil incenses by Sea Witch Botanicals. Highly recommend Hermitage and White Lodge scents. Exactly what you want to fill your house with in the fall. It's been a great reminder to return to my body to check in as well as to stop and breathe deeply and enjoy.
Keeping them fed.
So I would prefer to be in my studio painting over most things. But my people have got to eat. This month I found the best baked ziti recipe. Good ingredients but not too much prep. I was so excited, I went through my recipe binder and immediately got rid of the four other ziti recipes that I've made before. This is the ONE that stands out to me! So good! The only tweaks I made was to add some leftover fontina cheese in with the cheeses and I went ahead and boiled the noodles instead of soaking them. So good!
Well...that's it. I'll be back in the studio, as much as I can. But I'll also be taking walks outside with the doggos, enjoying Halloween candy, watching football, breathing deep and loving my people. Hope you soak up the things you enjoy every day.
Thanks for letting me share my excitement with you!