I’m off to Santa Fe where I’ll be teaching a workshop on Objects of Devotion (and it looks like rain most of the way). There are dark clouds of every kind all around us.
So, one of the last tasks I needed to finish was a review of the editors’ introduction to Wax Fusion, the publication of the International Encaustic Artists, which will be out at the end of October. The theme is finding light in dark times.
“We are living through uncertain times, when it can be hard to see what lies ahead. Such moments ask us to be resilient and adaptable, but also to reach toward one another with compassion.”
I want to add a small invitation: reach out with your hands, too. Make something to hold onto.
Shape a small vessel. Wrap a rock with twine. Gather scraps of cloth into a bundle with a few charms tucked inside. Fold and stitch a little handmade book, even if you don’t yet know what belongs on its pages.
When I’m afraid, my thoughts tend to circle the same uneasy territory. Working with my hands gives that restless energy somewhere to go. There is a thread to pull, a piece of clay to press, an edge to fold. My attention returns to what is here, within reach.
The object doesn’t have to be beautiful or useful. Let it carry something you need: courage, tenderness, a memory, a hope. Your time and attention give it meaning.
Start small. Give your hands something creative to do. Hold on to it.
Making something won’t resolve the uncertainty around us. But it can give us a tangible reminder that we still have the capacity to care, to choose, and to bring something into being. That feels like a comforting pushback against fear and darkness.
And afterward, there it is—in your palm, on your worktable, beside your bed. Something you made. Something you can touch when you need to remember that the light comes back. ♥
“Art is the highest form of hope.”
— Gerhard Richter, painter
Safe travels and keep making – it fills us with hope and love!
Sorry I have you miss this one
Who needs a therapist when I have you to read and follow and emulate. You are such a gift to all of us.
Such Lovely Encouraging Poetry from You! Thank You!
Love this! Thanks so much : )
Dearest Lyn,
I love and appreciate how you show up and share yourself so very much.
A beautiful invitation and reminder. Nit only somewhere to place our attention and to hold but creating what can hold and remind us.
Thank you. Kindred spirit
Blessings and light in these times
Reading this post reminds me how much I Iove you and how grateful the world is for your presence in it..
Lyn, this is such a beautiful message of hope in these cloudy days! Your Santa Fe students are in for such a treat! Safe travels and I’ll see you when you get home!
I’m reading all your comments–such love and hope coming back to you for all you give the rest of us in so many ways! You are truly a luminous inspiration to me!
Thank you for the reminder. I have been going to a Death and Dying Cafe in Alamosa, CO. I started collecting pretty rocks and polishing them with clear coat, and had the intention to gift them to the participants. Some I wrapped in silk, others I included special found objects. Its just a small gift of found objects and art, to brighten someone’s day.
Thank you for the reminder. I have been going to a Death and Dying Cafe in Alamosa, CO. I started collecting pretty rocks and polishing them with clear coat, and had the intention to gift them to the participants. Some I wrapped in silk, others I included special found objects. Its just a small gift of found objects and art, to brighten someone’s day.
This is such a beautiful gesture