New art to share in a tumultuous, tender time.  This fabric image is called Real Story, and today it speaks to me of shedding layers, opening pages, telling stories of our lives and lineage, and healing our culture, piece by piece. 

Some of us are healing our own hearts right now.  Some are looking deeply at our political divides.  Some are becoming more aware of injustice and corruption.  All of us raised in the US have layers of racism/white supremacy handed down to us, and we who are white have a particular calling to unravel ours.  Black lives matter.  I know we need justice for Jacob Blake, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and all those who are daily impacted by the wrongs of police violence.  I also know that we must welcome and protect immigrants who bravely seek shelter or opportunity in our country.  And I know that diversity brings a strength and beauty that we dearly need in our communities.  So it felt right to use white fabric in the art to represent the layers of culture and fear I choose to compassionately take apart— slowly and on purpose, inside and outside myself— layer by layer.

Finally, it’s both messy and joyous at our core (and in this art) when we get down to what our hearts want to say!  I see us as seeds with our husks opening.  Some of us are becoming more of who we are, finding our voices, shedding too-small ideas of ourselves.  I notice us opening the pages of our lives to share truth and wisdom.  I’m learning to speak up more about my convictions and show more of my creative work, in trust that it adds to the book we’re all writing together.  When we’re authentically real— celebrating our strengths, weaknesses, grief, creativity, and humanity— our community and our trust deepens, story by story.

Especially in these difficult days, may we open up, heal, tell our stories, wear masks, VOTE, and become the people and community we want to be.

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Thanks to the Brave Joy Collective who supported the making of this art for August.  If you’d like to receive a 5x7 art print of each month's image in the mail, with spiritual practice ideas to go with it, you can join our subscription!  You’ll get behind the scenes photos and writing too, while you help me make art on behalf of us all.  It's quite wonderful, and I'm so grateful.