2025 is the Year of the Snake - can you feel it? It’s a shedding of our old self and a transformation into our next evolution. Personally, I have felt especially intolerant lately of my old way of operating. It is time for an upgrade. I have traditionally expressed concepts of mindfulness and self-reflection artistically through an abstract lens, but for this new series, I am spelling it out quite literally with painted and embroidered text, claiming my new way of being through an outpouring of raw declarations, desires, and manifestos. I share them as both an outward release for myself, and a rallying cry for others. Why is it that we have this zoomed out perspective after attending a funeral? Why does it take a tragedy to shake us into awareness and reassess our one and only precious life? Well, define and declare it now. Put down your phone and embrace your life - it's time for an outright soul reckoning. And, like a “note to self”, remind yourself daily to ingrain and sustain.
Each 30” x 40” artwork features a background of lively gestural acrylics on canvas, overlaid with painted and embroidered text, in some cases with threads draped across or dangling from the natural wood frame. They convey aliveness, passion and vulnerability and I hope they awaken something within each of you. Below is a transcription of each artwork, along with a peek at each artwork:
“Permission Slip”
I give myself permission to take up space,
to rest and listen to my gut,
to honor myself, to not take things so seriously,
to open my eyes to the everyday beauty
and cry and feel and get pissed
and speak my mind and say the difficult thing;
to make mistakes and try again and admit I don’t know the answer
and form an opinion;
to listen and ask questions and be curious;
to let go, to love loudly and accept compliments;
to take deep breaths and enjoy the f*king ride and
relish in the deliciousness of ordinary moments
with the people I love; to create freely, to jump in,
to not be driven by fear, but by an inspired version of this thing called life,
to test my edges, to catch myself,
to show up fully, to to surrender and trust,
to just BE.
“I am the Generator”
I am the generator, the driver, the director and authority
of a storyline on a spinning planet in the middle of complete vastness,
co-creating with the universe,
weaving a life of magic and messes and endless possibilities;
guided by internal whispers,
feeling more than thinking,
trusting more than analyzing,
riding a chain reaction of inspiration,
of meaningful moments and sparks -
a transfer of energy that fills the room
and radiates beyond dust and time, and
when I wake up, I get to do it all over again.
“Reclamation”
I choose aliveness, a way of living
with no room for doubt or smallness,
and in its place, a reclamation
of belief and love and audaciousness and depth,
a spectrum of inspiring experiences meeting me with a full body yes,
an unapologetic freedom to speak my mind,
a mindset to be scared and do it anyways,
bold dreams that amplify whispers of the heart;
befriending and blurring with my higher self, arms linked,
hearts wild and open, together in lockstep towards the
exhilarating unknowingness and my wiser self exclaims
“I’ve been waiting for you”.
As always, thanks for your interest and time in my artistic practice and journey. Email subscribers will gain access 24 hrs ahead of the general public release online on Oct 15. I can't wait to put these pieces and heartfelt thoughts out into the world!
XOXO
Jul