Dear friends and curious readers,
I’m working from the studio today with a growing list of tasks as I enter my final week in Kansas City. As I look around at the worktables and space that was designated for my use this past year and see all the materials I’ve accumulated and the projects still in progress, I feel reluctant to begin packing it all up. It is hard to stop that creative flow once you’ve entered it, to do something as mundane as packing, especially when the packing has to do with a bittersweet ending.
I’ll miss being here and being a part of this incredible family and community. I’m welling up and feeling the ache of it, even as I write these words. But there is also the sweet part—the knowing that I’m heading to a space that I’m eagerly anticipating. A space I wasn’t expecting to find, and would not have, if I hadn’t allowed myself to search outside the neighborhoods I’d been favoring.
There’s some anxiety too—ha! did I make that sound mild? I’ve been feeling some major anxiety. The familiar voices always stir when I’m about to attempt something new—whenever I am about to begin an endeavor that I really really want to do. Those inner voices that mean to keep me safe, though errantly, by not allowing me to step outside their comfort zone. Thankfully, I’ve had years of practice discerning between those errant messengers and my own true voice. I’ve been countering that anxiety with curiosity.
What if things don’t work out?? But oh my goodness, what if they do??
And it settles inside—the tug of war between staying and going. Between the fear of things that can possibly go wrong and the excitement for things that can go wonderfully, magically, intuitively right.
As I pack, I’m noticing the projects in progress—some I know without a doubt I want to finish before I leave, and others I’ll carefully box up with all their pieces together, waiting to see if they still speak to me when I unpack them again.
I started stitching the textile piece above this week. I’ve made a few adjustments and added some elements, but I love the beautiful wonkiness in the way it’s laid out in the image. I keep referring back to it to make sure certain elements remain connected just so. There are a few assemblage pieces in progress that I’m hoping to complete before I go.
It’s a wonderful flow—between tending to the task list and the moments set aside to make those connections between materials permanent. It feels like an apt illustration of the connections I’ve made to people in this community. This year has served to make many of those connections permanent, while others will remain cherished memories—as a beautiful array of possibilities in the elements waiting to be stitched or collaged.
So often, seeing these piles on my worktable sparks an idea for a new work of art. But there’s never enough time in the world to create with it all. And so I put them away with a smile and gratitude for the moments of joy I experienced in their presence—just as I’ll tuck each person, each uniquely Kansas City experience, into my heart.
Thanks for taking this journey with me. Read on for a bit of news.
With so much gratitude to you all,
Crystal Marie
Speaking of gratitude, the last week of my Moving Sale/Popup Shop nearly sold out on day one! There are still six collage works in the $25 category and I’ve moved them all to the top to make it easy to see which ones are still available. Check them out here.
And one lonely $50 work on canvas—which I will gladly hang in my new home if it doesn’t sell. Some of my older works wind up getting makeovers in my assemblage works, but some of them are just forever friends. Moon Girl is one of those works that just makes me absolutely happy to view and absolutely would be over the moon to send it off to one of you. Check it out here.
There are so many good reasons to join my membership group—The Deeper Connection. Not the least of which is our newest prerecorded course study, The Secret Language of Women. I just stumbled across this yummy little promo video I made when I first created the course.
Lessons will drop every other week for the next three months and group members will be working on a small group collaboration project based on it in September.
There’s also the SIX live online opportunities to gather, hangout, be mentored and connect each month and a whole mess of other perks. Find The Deeper Connection blog, here.