always becoming

Hello! Hi. I finished a new painting! Eternal Seeds of Becoming

• Original Available Here — Prints Available Here •

INPRNT is having a Holiday Sale on all prints.

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The human mind is like a fertile ground where seeds are continually being planted. The seeds are opinions, ideas, and concepts. You plant a seed, a thought grows, and it grows. The word is like a seed, and the human mind is so fertile! - Don Miguel Ruiz

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a few pages from my journal - click to enlarge

How are you? I am still adjusting to some big life changes, life carries on…

meanwhile….

a few things I am loving…

This cool IBM Flowcharting Template I found at the thrift store for $1

Casey Rubber Stamps. So many wonderful stamps.

The work of Mikulás Galanda!

books…

Forest Euphoria by Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian captivated me. I connected with the author’s love of nature and solitude, and appreciated all the fascinating things I learned.

John Irving’s Avenue of Mysteries pulled me in from the first pages. It’s been a while since I read an Irving book. I am only a few chapters in, and loving it.

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. I found this at a Free Little Library, and I’m not sure why I hadn’t read it sooner. It’s one of those books that feels like everyone should read.

words I am loving…

• Homophily: the tendency for people to seek out or be attracted to those who are similar to themselves.

Who wants to start a nature/art colony with me? BYOA (bring your own animals.) :)

• Deliquesce: to dissolve or melt away: to become soft or liquid with age or maturity -

This is what I feel I am doing as I get older.

• Pebbling: the act of offering small, meaningful objects or gestures to establish social bonds, observed in both animal behavior and human relationships.

Who doesn’t love meaningful objects or gestures? It can be as simple as sending a funny meme to someone you care about, or even better, a handwritten postcard or any small gift of affection.

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Living in the city, I’m relearning the value of solitude. With houses pressed up on every side, it feels claustrophobic. After years in an expansive, bucolic place, I knew the adjustment would be hard. When I step outside, I feel a responsibility, an ever-present awareness of myself and others. I can’t hide, though I’ve been trying.

Reluctantly, I walked to the river, where everyone else walks. The hardest part of city living, at least for me, is the scarcity of places where I can disappear into my own world. I’ve been hesitant to seek out spots that might feel temporarily mine, knowing they will never be the same as being alone in my own space. But the river was inviting. I passed many people, said hellos, and found my way back to where I currently hide and call home. Perhaps, if I go often enough, I’ll find my place.

I crave companionship, but I also need solitude. Balancing these isn’t always easy. Solitude allows me to be true to myself, make room for new ideas, and renew the inner landscape that keeps me grounded. Without it, my inner world feels chaotic and unsettled. Did I mention I’m an only child? Independence has always been vital to my sense of well-being. Living somewhere with nowhere to hide makes that independence feel lost, and without it, it’s harder to connect with nature, my own rhythm, and the deeper world inside me. I don’t feel or see things the way I do when I am alone; my attention is elsewhere.

Time spent with others often involves a quiet compromise, an unspoken agreement to be present and show we care. It can be a beautiful, selfless act. But for a creative person, solitude is essential: a refuge to ask the most personal questions of ourselves. Only in the intuitive landscape of our own company does creativity unfurl purely and subjectively, allowing for a deeper inward and outward expansion, into places it can't reach when others have our attention.

Once we replenish ourselves in the ways we need, we can return to each other more fully, ready to collaborate, connect, and share something genuine. The search for this kind of solitude is deeply rewarding, and when honored, it fosters a natural reciprocity. This search remains my goal.

Are you like me? Do you need time alone to feel refreshed, or do you find being with others more energizing?

Some days, I feel a pull to become more nomadic, to follow the footsteps of walkers like Grandma Gatewood, or the curious wanderers in this video. Other days, I long for a small farm with goats, chickens, and whoever else might wander in. I sway between the urge to roam and the desire to root, both calling to different parts of me.

What about you? Are you staying put or packing your bags? How is your wanderlust?

Up Next: Winter Pottery Sale — I have been photographing/editing/measuring and getting ready to list the last of my pots. I hope to have everything up on my website by next week. I’ll post here as soon as it’s ready.

and… I did something I never thought I’d do: I signed up for a local pottery class. My hands and my soul need some clay. It begins in January! A great way to start 2026!

It will be good to be a student again.

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Thank you for sharing time and space here with me. I really appreciate it. ♡