LolaJovan.com
  • Home
  • ART
  • BLOG
  • Exhibits
    • The Downside of Lycanthropy
    • A Song for the Hunted
    • The Wild God
    • NUDGE - SHOVE
  • BOOKS

The Struggle with Being Invisible

8/20/2018

8 Comments

 
"The Struggle with Being Invisible" - mixed media on paper,  14" x 10".  Available here at at Artfinder.

I've been following the fiber art Facebook posts of Rebecca Carter Hayworth.   Sweetness and introspection stitched into fiber assemblages of wonder.  The Wingmaker Arts Collaborative in Charlotte was where I took my first ever art class, so Rebecca and her creations will always have a special place in my heart.  

This piece was inspired by her stitchery.  Painted over whimsical sketches on a piece of watercolor paper headed for the recycling bin, it brought a huge smile to my face when I realized who I was thinking of as I painted.  

My arms and shoulders are regaining a bit of strength.  I can paint a little longer, hold books and read without tiring and even wash my own hair now.  The simple things are bringing me great joy.

I picked up Mark Nepo's The One Life We're Given​, which
Picture
opened to a chapter called The Story Behind the Story.  Oh synchronicity!  And this - "​We live in an era where our attention is so scattered that we just skim events...But storytelling has always been a deeper, more connective art, preserving the story of life that's at the heart of all news.  The most important  stories show how we're connected."   Here I am, after a month of being housebound and feeling more connected than ever to many of the people in my life.  Why?  Because there is time in every day to share our stories.  Is that a luxury?  I used to think it was.  But maybe it is a necessity instead.  

Sharing our stories is necessary to really see each other and to be seen.  Nepo writes: "We all  long to be accepted.  And we all struggle with being invisible..." I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all the people who have taken the time to know my story and make me feel seen.  

The Storyteller's Apprentice
(an illuminated novel by Dana Kumerow.  Illustrations by Brittany Tate and Jen Walls)

Picture
Except from an early review by author Karon Luddy: 

​"
Sitting alongside Samira in the wagon, Arella’s dented sense of self makes her long to find her own kind, her own wild tribe. And luckily, Kumerow takes the reader along on an adventure of vast growth and transformation that delves deeply into Arella’s psyche to reclaim her birthright as a genius in listening to stories and eventually into telling stories herself.  And perhaps against all odds, Arella becomes herself.​"

Pre-order your copy of  
The Storyteller's Apprentice at www.thestorytellersapprentice.com/shop

8 Comments
Carl Stoveland
8/20/2018 08:51:38 am

I’m ordering that Nepo book right now! Great post Jen. I’m glad you found a positive out of being housebound. I agree connectivity is everything after all it was the inspiration for and at the heart of my IAMLAKEWORTH project. Be well.

Reply
jen
8/20/2018 08:55:26 am

Carl! Your IAMLAKEWORTH project is telling the stories of so many people! It is such a community builder and connection maker. If every town had someone like you, telling the stories of the people within it, I really believe more folks would find common ground and feel connected to their neighbors. Thanks for all you do!

Reply
Judy
8/20/2018 09:03:18 am

Isolation. You have expressed it so eloquently for-those of us who have suffered due to illness and pain. After having such a successful career in Real Estate, I found my self stricken withLupus and it striped me of almost everything. My income, my friends, my social life, my joy.
After awhile, people tend to think you just do not exist. You almost become forgotten and that is when I became a storyteller. Searching deep into my soul to find myself and my story, the forgotten joy.Twelve stories, I have written, trying to hang on to the essence of life , and yet I still feel isolated because they have not been heard. It is as if you do not exist!
Thanks for putting a voice to it!

Reply
jen
8/20/2018 10:04:42 am

Judy!!! Thank you for sharing your story here publicly. There is someone out there reading it who is feeling a connection to what you've been through (including me!) Our storyteller kindred spirits are whispering to each other....now it's time to get your 12 stories out there in the world. You must be heard! xoxoxoxo

Reply
Dorothy Seiter link
8/20/2018 11:11:50 am

Jen, so much energy surging through your words. So much eye-opening and seeing. Thank you.

Hi, Jen! Hi, Carl! Hi, Judy!

Washing your own hair—a w e s o m e.

Love your painting and its story.

Reply
jen
8/20/2018 11:14:37 am

Dotty!!!!! Thank you dear heart. Greetings from the goddess of clean hair. :)

Reply
Carol Edan link
8/20/2018 11:38:36 am

Your post really gave me a kick in my pants.... bursting with positivism! Felt a bit in the dumps but this got me out ! Image brings me to mine "Onward Christian Soldiers". Small things great wonders! Connectivity that is the real KEY!

















































































































































































..

Reply
Jen
8/20/2018 05:10:57 pm

Carol! I did not mean to kick anyone in the pants, but I am so glad you found a little burst of motivation with this post. :) Onward you go, art soldier!!! xo

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Lola Jovan

    Picture

    Get Mail!

    * indicates required
    /* real people should not fill this in and expect good things - do not remove this or risk form bot signups */

    Intuit Mailchimp

    Categories

    All
    An Unexpected Life
    Bones
    Bossy Pants
    Mischief And Malarkey
    Rewilding
    The Art Of Seeing
    The Inner Landscape
    The Weight Of Words

contact lola
Picture
Here's the blue wild, where
tiny dreamers ride beasts, speak
​ birdsong, hold the moon.

(by poet Mary W. Cox)
​


​Art prints available on request
  • Home
  • ART
  • BLOG
  • Exhibits
    • The Downside of Lycanthropy
    • A Song for the Hunted
    • The Wild God
    • NUDGE - SHOVE
  • BOOKS