Dancing In September

--Summer Fun on The Appalachain Trail in Virginia--

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"Dancing in September"... If you don't know where this line comes from I might be a little sad today. Earth, Wind, and Fire's song "September"! If you do remember it I know you're grooving your body just a little bit as you're singing the words in your head. Right now. And, yes, I'll be queueing up my super 70's once I get back in the studio today.

Have you been calculating your life lately on how many months we've been living in a pandemic? March, 2020. That's where it began for most. Backwoods Gallery show Opening Night was when I heard we'd be quarantined indefinitely. Now, gratefully, we are moving forward and figuring all of this out together.

As we have lived through this situation, we have seen so many good deeds and good people and positive support and cooperation between friends and complete strangers. You know it. I know it. We've all seen it and experienced it. And this helps us all thrive, especially outdoor cocktail hour with the neighbors. It's been amazing to see people working together figuring out something we haven't quite figured out yet. That's okay. We will get there. Eventually. I'm pretty sure of it. Yep. I'm sure.

Sadly, though, at the forefront of the news and on social media platforms day in and day out some people continue to be "orators of doom" during this time. They preach, shame, and resort to nastiness and sometimes personal attacks on friends and strangers alike. Is this really who we are and who we want to be? Nope. Not me. 

Working through these days, with my family back working and living at home, life has been a struggle but's its been good, too. It's my job, as wife and mom, sister and daughter, to keep this "sh!t" together! Right?!? You experience it and I experience it. To do this, I decided to work on eliminating negative behavior, words, and influences that comes across my path and instead seek joy. It does not take much to pass through social media platforms and remove these things from my daily vision as much as possible. I can also choose what news to watch and read and still be informed, in as balanced a manner as possible. I can opt in to kindness and joy.

When I take a look at these two things together, actual behavior among our neighbors, with people in stores and restaurants, at the park, or, for me, painting together with friends, I have found that most people are kinder, more understanding, and loving to one another when there are personal interactions. Yes, there are random exceptions to this ideal - I've experience that, too. But I also see that once the "somewhat" anonymous role takes over on social media, that behavior looks a bit different for those "orators of doom". I'm thinking - hey, why not treat everyone kindly as if you were seated next to them having a cup of iced coffee or an ice cream cone. Sounds simple. Sounds yummy. Sounds like "treat your friends like family and your family like friends" mantra I used to hear alot when I was growing up. Sounds like an entree into spreading joy.

Art for me is joy. I seek to reflect that in my work. My social media reflects this. And I try, yes, I try, to make my life about joy. There will continue to be the people out there who work to "suck joy" from me and others. I've gotten some perspective on this now - I suppose I've actually learned something from these last few months. I can let them do it or not let them. If I let them, my personal life suffers, my family suffers, and my art suffers. Who wants that? 

As for my painting, well, I have been painting continuously since the beginning of this quarantined life keeping busy with large commissions and smaller works thrown into the mix. I continue to paint and be glad of it. I'm thankful for the commissioned work. They're about capturing moments of joy in each of their lives. And, one in particular, laughter and love. That one involves beignets so I've been smiling alot and craving warm french donuts with a snowfall of powdered sugar! (Haha, now you want them, too. Admit it.)

As we dance into September, maybe it's time to tune into some super 70's and drift away...Find your joy. Share your joy. I'll be painting with joy and with Earth, Wind, and Fire.