The entire world feels as though it is on fire. This week in my online art journal meet-up the prompt was to go back and explore what we wanted to be when we grew up. When I assigned the prompt we were experiencing blue skies in Portland and thought about my childhood dream of becoming an archeologist. The pandemic was the over arching focus and school was starting. I had wrapped up the studio and was starting to feel like I was coming into a new routine and also feeling excited for teaching again. The 25 mile an hour winds came first. I initially looked at them as blowing away the cobwebs and making room for the new, but then the fires started. The fires have been so devastating here and on the entire west coast. I have sat and looked for ways to support those who had to prepare to leave their homes. Helplessness.

I watched the news and found myself slightly traumatized, remembering our families loss when I was 7 years old and our home burned. I had thought the experience well processed in my own personal work over the years, but watching people sifting through what remained of their homes on the news snapped me back to those feelings of loss and insecurity with intensity. This week the fire fighters seemed to make more ground turning from a defensive approach to an offensive one. The warning to leave homes for some folks I personally knew was rescinded. The threat is still there and the smoke continues to linger leaving our air hazardous to breathe, but the rain is coming. The piece above encapsulates the past and the present. I included some tiny monkeys and a scuba diver swimming in the flames. The eye for all watching us here in Portland and also for all of us watching what is happening in the world. The ominous looking scientist navigates his lab, possibly looking for a vaccine or maybe manipulating all the lines in front of him that make me think of the many statistical graphs I see every day on the news and online measuring death, COVID-19 cases...political gains and losses. He seems powerful and unaffected by the fires around him, familiar huh? In my journal meet-up one of my friends said, "you are an archeologist...an emotional archeologist." It resonated for me in the work that I do with so many.

Two nights ago my spouse and I went to walk the dogs before going to bed. Twenty minutes upon our return home I heard four gun shots outside of our home. I have never experienced the feelings I had at that moment. I froze. The dogs barked and then also froze next to me on the bed. I called the police and waited quietly for my spouse to come upstairs. We waited together staying away from the windows. The police officer told us they found bullet casings on the street near our home, confirming four shots. A number of officers combed the street with flashlights and patrol cars zoomed down the street. It didn't appear that anyone was harmed. This world is in such a state. I am thankful for my spouse and also neighborhood group. Today I am sitting with all the feelings and doing some self-care, towels still blocking smoke at the bottoms of the doors...writing, making more art and waiting for rain.

This past weekend I moved out of my studio after 14 years. I have been going through a range of emotions. Last night my spouse and I started looking at pictures from the past. So many different people have come through my life. I mean of course in my entire life, but these last 14 years have been extra special. I have been lucky to share company with others who value creativity and wellness in the same way that I do. Some have remained permanent fixtures in my life, some have not moved into the same chapters.

What an honor!
Creating the studio was no easy job and maintaining it this long has been both gratifying and exhausting. I am thankful to have crossed paths with those I have. A special thank you to each of you.

The piece above is a journal entry for my online journal meet-up today. I lead this group every other week. Our prompt was to choose a color and create a piece in a mindful way seeing where the color took the process. My color turned into a bruise. A "feelings bruise." My body is currently sore from all the work we did yesterday loading and unloading into storage. We will do it all one more time when the new studio is built. My heart also hurts. Walking out of the space yesterday was hard. I still have to go back and clean and take care of a few more details, but it was a goodbye. My piece is a culmination of my feelings and love around the transition in this art bruise.

I hope the next 14 years in the new space connects me with more creatives who share my vision.

If you are interested in following the transition or supporting the GoFundMe visit our story HERE

Many of you may have already heard, but I have made a difficult decision. I have decided to close the studio. I am going to reopen, but in the present I have decided to build a new studio on my own land. I have rented my space for 14 years. It has been a vibrant and engaging experience for me, full of many connections. I have many mixed feelings. I am giving myself room to process, but also I am looking ahead to all the new possibilities. I am really excited to be able to provide some new options for individuals with disabilities. New services will provide them the ability to show and sell their art. With the pandemic I have also become more experienced at teaching online. You can read all about the new era of the studio HERE and visit the GoFundMe campaign if you'd like to support the new vision. Any support is very much appreciated.

This week in our Art Journal Meet-up group we explored the idea of individuals who have impacted us in some way. The prompt was vague and artists were encouraged to take it any direction that felt right for them. We will be meeting up this afternoon to share our art. My journal entry is above. I initially was feeling like I didn't have time to make a piece this week, with all the work packing and organizing I have been doing. I felt like I should just catch up on emails, BUT I remembered "should's" are not always what we need. This piece came together quickly and was exactly what I needed to be doing. I dug through my collage and found the quote, "no man ever stands so tall as when he stoops to help a boy." I don't know who said it, but the strict male gendered voice bugged me. It was freeing to add my own pronouns to it changing it to, "no one every stands so tall as when they stoop to help another..."

I reflected on all the people who I have been impacted by. I realized it was too difficult to choose one at this moment. I found color swatches and scissors to represent the many choices we have in the world. The map swatch and the landscape represent my journey. The mushrooms for foraging in life. The bottle symbolic of the message in a bottle found in the ocean. Someone sending their thoughts into the world in hopes they will be read and received. The Anubis characters are representational of the guides in our transitions. Lastly, the paint...transferred from messy palettes left behind in my studio. Another symbol of those who have touch my life in this era.

I look forward to the next phase, I will miss the studio...my landlord. He has been an incredible support all these years. I would not have been able to sustain with any other. His patience...well he knows. I know that I will continue to do the work I have been called to do.

If you'd like information about the Art Journal Meet-up Group, it is FREE. We meet every other week. Contact me if you'd like to join! DETAILS HERE

Warmly,
Beth Ann

This week's journal prompt was about taking risks. We all make choices. Every day we choose what we will eat, what we will wear, what we will say...what we will do. Our world is in transition. Our choices will guide the next phase of humankind.

What will you do to participate? How will your choices impact others?
How will your choices impact the greater good?

The word "risk" is scary sometimes. There are both good and bad risks. The choices you make and risks you take will be what you leave behind. You will impact others, whether you want to or not.

What will you do next?

With the pandemic my time alone has increased, which has also led me to more time to self-reflect. Sometimes this is difficult. Our planet is a tumultuous place. My heart aches for this time to be the time humans step up and face their own short comings and learn and evolve. We still have much to work through. Hopefully a change in leadership in the fall will help, but we can't expect our leaders to do the work we need to do everyday.

Throughout my life I have felt alone facing chaos or transitions. Today in my creative meditation practice I created this piece after writing a journal entry about what "love" might say to me. In the process I realized as much as I have been a self-described loner I am not alone.

What might love say to me?
"You have walked alone among so many for so long. But you aren't alone, you are with you. You...you are a vibrant, rich soul. You have witnessed so much in this lifetime and all those that came before. Today take all of the wisdom from all these lives and be. Be. Be the human you were born to be in this time. The future may be unclear, but now is what we have. We...you and I love. You are not alone. I am always with you love. Know this. Embrace this. Be the love that you are. Feel everything. Allow yourself to be, feel, create, express, and to put the love out there. We are together- you and me (love).
Love,
Love"

What might love say to you?

As we finish our first month of sheltering in place I have found my own epiphanies in self reflection. I have enjoyed more social contact with friends and family albeit online, this time has provide me with an opportunity to reflect and prioritize.

I have desperately been missing working with groups and have decided to offer a FREE weekly online art journaling meet up group via Zoom. Starting next week, Monday, April 20th at 1pm (Pacific time) I will begin hosting anyone wishing to have a consistent place to connect and share about the journaling experience. Our first meeting will discuss the structure of the online group, materials, and kick off with a journal prompt. Subsequent weekly meetings will include some journal sharing as time allows. Sharing is not required. Participants should share to their own level of comfort. Meetings will be 40 minutes in length. If participants are interested in more individualized time with me Individual Creativity Sessions can be scheduled.

If you are interested in joining please click here to contact me for the details needed to enter this private Zoom group.

Be well!
Life is art...

Chances are you are in the same boat as me?
Sheltering in place and social distancing.
This has been very difficult for me. My usual day to day is full of social interaction. Between my groups and individuals that I work with. Now my days are just myself and my two dogs, until my spouse comes home in the evening and is with me on the weekends. Fortunately, I have a writing project with a deadline which is helping in filling up some of the days. I am still making time to make art. It is quiet and at times a bit hauntingly alone.

This is the reason we created the Shut-In Open Studio project. The newest of the Artist/Humankind: Location/Earth (AHLE). It's a space where anyone can submit a piece of art in reflection of what is going on around us, with what ever content is on that artist's mind. You are not alone!

No art experience necessary.
No age requirement.
Just EMAIL a JPEG of your piece to me and include the following:

• Name
• Pronouns
• Location
• 3-5 sentences relating to your feelings about what is going on in the world
  

I hope you will connect with us!
Images can be seen at the AHLE Instagram and also on the AHLE Facebook

It has been a minute since my last post. I realize through social distancing all the things that I usually do and can not now. Stepping back I look at the multitude of outlets we have in our lives and are now "grounded" from.
How is this impacting you?

While my dogs have been excellent company while my spouse is at work, I found myself initially frustrated at having to work from home. I am not teaching this term so I did not have to adjust to online teaching. A great deal of my work is making art in person with people. Whether it's individuals, families or groups...in person. It was a difficult decision to cancel all my groups for the next two weeks, but I did it for the health and safety of all. While I can still offer individual telehealth sessions with clients it is appropriate for, I won't see many of the youth or groups I work with for at least two weeks.

I have been isolating since last Thursday when I had a cold which quickly passed (thankfully).
Five days and at least 13 more to go.

How do we get through this difficult and historical time? We can choose to be creative in how we manage each day. I have had times where I was sucked down a Netflix wormhole. There is also a 1000 piece puzzle that I have been working on since Saturday. My spouse wants nothing to do with it. These are coping mechanisms that can be pleasing, but not helpful if that is all I do. I had to snap myself out of these by reminding myself what is outside of my front door. The world. It's all still there and we are going to get through this. Today I decided I wanted to reach out to you and offer some tips to manage through these crazy times. I hope they are helpful. Remember we will get through this.

1. Structure: It will be easy to fall into vacation mode at first. Working from home still needs structure. Remember to work with a schedule. It may not be the same as if you were at work, but schedule can add to feelings of normalcy and set you up for productivity in your work.
2. Move your body: Take a walk or go for a bike ride, but just remember to keep your distance (6 feet) from others. There are also many ways to move your body in your home. Youtube has many exercise videos to stream for FREE! I personally LOVE Yoga with Adriene. If the weather is nice work in the yard. Organize those boxes you have been ignoring in the basement/attic. Do that home project you haven't had the time to do.
   
3. Self-care: In addition to moving your body you will need additional self-care. Practice mindfulness in your daily routine. Meditate. When you are washing your hands imagine the stress and anxiety of this time washing through your hands and down the drain. Take a bath or warm shower. Put on pleasant background music while you work. Ask for help if you need it!
4. Acknowledge difficult feelings: A wide range of feelings are likely at times like these. Fear or anxiety around COVID-19, worries around family members who may be high risk. Some may feel anger and frustration, which may come with helplessness. There is still much that is unknown and only time will tell as it continues to unfold. Writing or art journaling is a great way to externalize some of these feelings. Take a few moments each day to honor how you are feeling and what you are experiencing. Remember to acknowledge what you have control over. Ruminating about the things we can not control only adds to these difficult feelings.
   
5. Limit news feeds: visit reliable sources periodically, but do not leave news streaming all day. Moment to moment coverage can increase difficult feelings. Find a news source you trust and limit additional exposure. During 911 many experience vicarious traumatization re-watching the violence and destruction over and over. Limits are vital.
   
6. Connect virtually: While we are distancing, you still can take advantage of technology and connect with friends and loved ones. Facetime or Skype calls can help reduce feelings of loneliness. I have cooked dinner at the same time as a friend virtually and it was like we were having our own cooking show. These connections are important reminders of what is out in the world waiting for us.
   
7. Have fun! Bring joy into your day. You don't have to work the entire day, make cookies or bread, play a game in with someone at home or online. Visit online exhibits, numerous museums and galleries have responded to social distancing by creating online access to exhibits including the Smithsonian, Princeton's art museum, and google has a great resource page for more.  Read, learn a language, try a new recipe and of course my favorite make art!
   

Happy Summer!
I hope where ever you are, you are having opportunities to engage in some summer-like activities that you appreciate. I have been riding my bike as much as possible and watching my tomatoes and cucumbers grow.

In all this summer bustle I have had time to work on projects I normally wouldn't have time for. One of which is a project dear to my heart, another era of Creative Wellness. In the years since publishing my therapeutic tool, Creative Wellness: Art Journaling with Mindfulness, I have heard lots of feedback. The most pronounced, "hey Beth Ann, I love your book, but sometimes I loose steam and I wish I had a way to check in with you periodically." This spurred my choice to create a way to reach people both local AND out of the Portland area.

I am now offering Creative Wellness Individual Sessions! This work is a culmination of 20 years as a therapist. Specifically supporting adults navigating the 8 dimensions of wellness in their day to day. Sessions will incorporate art journaling and "take away's" after each session to contemplate or practice. I have even incorporated meditation into some session homework. Individuals can sign up for the entire series at a discounted rate and receive a free copy of my book, or sign up just for the sessions that call out to them. Details and sign up can be found HERE.

As always, thank you for your continued support!
Until next time...Warm wishes,Beth Ann