The Struggle with Being Invisible

"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

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.  

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

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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

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