>> MY HEART POINTS WEST <<
- Oct 3, 2017
- 2 min read
It has been just over a year since I ditched my corporate job for what I packaged up and tied in a bow under the term “sabbatical.”
Last year at this time I had just returned from nearly two months of road tripping in the American West and a grand finale WWOOFing on a farm in Alaska (for those of you who would not describe yourselves as wannabe hippie / hipsters or general wilderness women, that’s Willing Workers On Organic Farms). I was about to hit the road again, traveling solo to South Korea and then on to teach English in Cambodia.
Last year at this time I was living in one of the most free spirited times of my life, yet felt an incredible sense of ease and purpose. Although I had a general outline and set of goals for the first 4 months of my sabbatical, everything beyond that was grey and ambiguous. I felt energy from all of the possibility and opportunity that lived out there in the unknown.
Last year at this time I was free. I was in the present. I was thankful.
This year, as I see the next wave of change on the horizon, I have instead found many moments of anxiety and self-criticalness in the ambiguity. I have found myself afraid. Afraid that I am wasting time. Afraid of reshaping my identity. Afraid that I’ll find myself following someone else’s path again, and not leading my own.
So I stopped.
I hit pause in the midst of the search and swirl for my next career and lifestyle steps, and I reflected. I defined success in my own terms and what I consider greatness (thanks to my man James Taylor over at The Accidental Creative podcast).
For, if I am pursuing greatness every day, then I am on the path to my own success.
Similarly, I channeled my anxious energy into my art practice and focused on moments of peace, thankfulness, and adventure. I wanted to create for my own heart and soul first and foremost. I wanted to relive some of my favorite moments traveling. I centered the work on the notion that “my heart points west.” For me, it represents not only literal moments traveling out west, but also embracing the unknown and choosing adventure - grounded by the sturdy mountains, but still leaving open the chance of flying into the open sky.
From here a set of deconstructed landscapes were born as the latest edition to my “Undercurrents” series. I was inspired by colors & textures found in the solitude of nature, and moments on the verge of adventure.
As I reflect again on last year at this time, maybe the peacefulness and ability to live in the present came not from sheer freedom, but instead from knowing that I took a chance and was living out my plan.
It is time for me to take another chance and plan my next journey, having confidence that the path there will show itself.
PEACE & LOVE
E
“YOU’LL KNOW THE WAY” and “I KNOW THOSE STONES BY HEART” available at galleryOTR.
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