A Lesson on Rest

Silhouette-4

A Lesson on Rest
France Archange

(TO BE USED WISELY IF TIRED OR WOUNDED OR LIVING A BUSY LIFE)

When one of his mules was wounded, my grandfather would take charcoal from a fire and put it on the wound. Then he would put the mule away by itself so it could heal and not be exposed to the elements or hard work. None of his workers could use it to carry any load. After some time without carrying any load and being put away by itself, the wound would heal… it’s okay to go away for a while.


The short prose piece above was written by France Archange, one of my former students (and current writing buddy)—now a college graduate on her way to medical school. Her “Lesson on Rest” is an appropriate way to “announce” my two-week blog break. I meet all the criteria for rest: I’m tired, a little wounded, and living a busy writing life. I think this piece can be found in her book, Unraveling. You can find more of France’s work on Instagram: @theunraveledsociety. Speaking of Instagram, I’ll still be posting “musings from my younger self,” so if you miss me, you can visit me there. 😉 Otherwise, I’ll see you in two weeks!

About the Image: The pic is from Harvest Square Preserve.  It is a variation of the photo I chose for the Week 28: Silhouette prompt for 52Frames.

Busy Being Busy: Lesson from the Little Bits

Busy Being Busy

After finishing another exhausting workday, I started thinking about all the things I have to do between now and Christmas and all the fun and rest I’ll get when the holiday break begins. I made the collage above with Bitmoji images featuring all the things I hope to do: deep clean house; get ahead on some business matters; prepare the house for Christmas; binge-watch television programs and Christmas movies; finish Christmas shopping; practice photography techniques; read a few good books; catch up on snail mail; connect with friends; spend time with my guys; rest and relax; spend time with family; get craftsy; pamper myself; work on writing projects; take time for tree therapy; organize photos; sleep, sleep, and more sleep.

Have you figured out what I figured out while making this little collage? Even though I worked in some rest and relaxation, that’s a whole lot of “busy” in what should be a period of rest. I might need to spend the time simply rethinking my life…and sleeping. Sleep is essential.

Photo Collage | Beyond Van Gogh

Van Gogh Immersive Collage

I was supposed to share this collage a few days ago, but the weekend required rest, and Monday was…Monday. I’m awake later than usual, so I decided to take a few moments to share a “few” of the 200+ shots I captured at Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience last year.

Vincent van Gogh is my my favorite Post-Impressionist artist, so when Beyond Van Gogh finally opened in Alabama, there was no way we were going to miss it. I secured tickets almost as soon as they became available. The guys and I were headed to Atlanta for Thanksgiving, so a stop in Birmingham for the exhibition was the perfect kickoff for the extra long weekend.

Beyond Van Gogh was everything I expected plus more. From the beautiful quotes extracted from the letters between van Gogh and his brother, Theo, to piecing together the story of his life through vignettes and images, to the [seemingly] entire van Gogh portfolio unfolding before our eyes and beneath our feet–the entire expereince was simply breathtaking. Participation in the immersive experience was the next best thing to being inside the artist’s mind or at the tip of his paintbrush.

My guys and I agreed the only thing that would make the experience better is to experience it without all the other people.

Photo Collage | Art, Art, and More Art!

Lowe Mill-2

Squeals! Have you ever had an experience—unrelated to psychotropic drugs—that left you feeling so high and giddy that you have difficulty controlling yourself?

That’s how I feel whenever I walk the floors of Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment here in Huntsville. So much amazing! So much art! So much talent!

I don’t go very often, but when I get there I leave with a desire to quit my job, get a studio there, and make (and sell) art for a living. Fortunately, before acting rashly, I realize, that might not be the best course of action for me. 

Lowe Mill is the largest privately owned arts facility in the South (USA). The former textile mill was “redeveloped into 152 working studios for over 200 artists, makers, and independent businesses, 7 galleries, a theatre, a community garden, and event spaces.” 

The goal of Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment is to nurture artists while educating the public about art and the creative process. In order to accomplish this, the Mill has established a community where artists, in a working studio environment, are able to create, display, and sell their work; and the public has the opportunity to visit, view, learn, and acquire work by local artists.

What I love about Lowe Mill is the access to many, many art forms in one space—mixed media, textile, bookbinding, culinary, photography, printmaking, ceramics, woodworking, glass, digital, sculpture, painting, performance, graphic design, fashion, and much more. It is pure pleasure to walk the long artful hallways, peer through windows and open doors, and speak with artists who are excited to answer questions and talk about their art.

The collage above features some random pics from my latest perusal of Lowe Mill with my guys. We especially enjoyed speaking with staff at the Cigar Box Guitar Store and Denise DeKemper Art from whom we purchased several small prints (including two sunflower prints).

You can learn more about the various artists and studios by clicking here. There’s so much color and beauty, your soul will sing!