Mistakes

In order to get this:

You have to go through a lot of these:

Oops.

It's no secret that I'm obsessed with all things coffee.  I'm always on a quest to find unique and beautiful coffee mugs.  My favorites are handmade.  I snagged this mug at a thrift store.  Couldn't believe my luck.  Who gives up such a gem?

T.W. wherever you are, thank you and I hope you keep creating!

Finding Beauty in the Darkness

Outside in the soft, cool morning air, I read this brave, raw and unapologetic book of poetry by my dear friend, Sarah who writes of her lifelong struggle with depression.  Diving into the words of her soul, I could see myself and the darkness that has held me at times.  If you are someone who knows that cold, grip of depression & anxiety I highly recommend this book.  But, most importantly, if someone you love is suffering from the disease of depression, this book is a MUST read.  You can never truly know what goes on inside the head of another person, but this book of poetry comes closer than any other book I've read on the subject.  

Finding Beauty in the Darkness by Sarah A. Willis can be found on amazon.com. 

Here's is one of the poems that really spoke to me:

Questioning Myself

Depression is a lonely illness
That loneliness encases me
I float in a sea
Surrounded by islands of activity
Singing, dancing, conversing, connecting
I see it all around me as I bob in the cold waters
But I can't reach the shore
I want someone to see me
To reach out and pull me in
Am I that easy to forget
Am I that hard to love
I continually slip back into the water
As others walk along the sand

Monday's jolt.

This was not the picture I had in mind when I pulled the curtain back this morning.  The orangey colors of the sunrise had me searching for this orange cup that I picked up recently.  Outside the air had a lingering hint of skunk.  The morning dew seemed to accentuate the musty smell of the untended garden.  I sat the cup down on the deck and crouched down to shoot from an angle that would show most of the orange burst of the clouds avoiding the clutter of broken pots and garden hoses.

As I twisted myself into various positions to get the right shot, I tripped over the hula hoops I had picked up at a yard on Saturday.  Annoyed, I tossed them across the deck and put my cup down so I could stand up.  Then I saw it.  Pink, yellow, orange. Such a jolt of color.  The colors of the sunrise.

Share a Cup. 

I found this cup at a thrift store. I was drawn to the intertwined flowers in a color that is as soft and blue as the summer sky.  But it was the handle positioned low and round that sealed the deal. 

As is my habit now, I stepped outside with my coffee just as the sun was beginning to rise.  These moments that I walk around my backyard seeking out a place to photograph my coffee are as much a part of me as breathing.  It’s the search for something unique or undiscovered in a place that is familiar and well trodden that has become an exercise in stillness, patience, observation and creativity.  

I took several shots of the cup on a blue mosaic table and the armrest of a black plastic chair.  As I turned to go back inside, my eye caught the sight of a broken pot split down the middle. It’s been there since the last big wind storm knocked it off the deck. I placed my lovely new coffee mug between the two shards and began to shoot from all angles. And as I began the process of selecting the photo of the day, I was struck the most by the symbolism of the beautiful blue cup tucked inside the remains of the broken pot. How much do we protect ourselves with the armor of resistance?  Cracking open leaves us vulnerable, exposed.  But, oh what light and beauty awaits our transformation.  

Welcome! So glad you are here!

"The right time is anytime." William James

Reasons why I started this blog:

1. to create connections in a world that feels disconnected 

2. to support our endeavors to carve out our place in the world

3. how this support benefits us all

4. to discover how art heals and how expressing oneself can be a lifesaver

5. to use social media as a vehicle for good

Let me take a step back for a moment: 

It was a year ago that I did the minimal to get by.  If it looked like I hadn’t showered or changed my clothes for days it was because I hadn’t.  I couldn’t see the point.  But I have kids so every morning had to get out of bed and get them to school.  I knew that I just had to get through that hour with them and then I could shut the door and crawl back in bed.  As I was forcing myself up every morning, and staring into my cup of coffee, I picked up my phone and began to take pictures of my coffee mug.  Next morning I got up, made my coffee, took a picture.  And again.  And again.  Each morning, I would prepare my coffee, search for a place in my house among the chaos of shoes, paperwork, dirty dishes and neglected housework, to capture a shot.  It was the one thing I did without fail.    

I began posting my daily shots on Instagram and then on Facebook.  I started to feel something change within me.  What sharing my pictures on social media made me realize is that people from all over the world share in similar rituals.  Remembering that I was part of a larger community helped me feel grounded and alive.   What started out as a daily routine to pull me out of a dark place, turned into one of my greatest joys. 

There is so much more to my story that I’m sure people who have been touched by depression, either with a loved one or themselves, understand.  Healing is not simple or straight forward.  And I’m not going to say that I’m completely free of dark & stormy days, nor will I say that this simple routine alone helped me out of the pit.  I did seek professional help.  I did slowly begin to open up to my friends and family.  Coffee picture, by coffee picture, I began to open the curtain and let the light in. 

I’m not a mental health expert, or an art critic, or a professional anything.  I’m a friend.  A believer in the healing power of art and expression.  A seeker of light in myself and in you.  

What I know for sure is that art heals, art saves, art mends & art creates a conversation from where a community can be formed.  So come along with me.  Who knows where we will end up.  But I’m certain that together we can discover what inspires us, what delivers us from dark places & moves us toward the light.

I look forward to sharing this journey with you!

Much love,

Betsy