An Artist’s Wampum Story part 2
My wampum story continues…pt 2 of ?
I intuitively entered a self-driven artist study for 2 months
at the end of 2023. The experience was life-changing.
Where I left off in my story…
In Part 1, I shared how I felt connected to scroll work through witness of another artist’s work.
And that I discovered the connection forming with art as language, when I painted my largest canvas to date, “I Learned Your Words and I wrote A Song”. (I’ll be painting another one of those real soon!)
And lastly, I shared my 1st small scroll which sparked my purchase of a much larger, 24feetx42inches Strathmore mixed media paper roll and 30 double-sided 22×28″ deluxe poster boards.
I knew I was going to stop worrying about the holidays and my failed website, and just worry about creating freely, whatever I want, whenever I want as a Christmas present to myself.
I thought I was taking a break.
Which leads me to what happened next…..
A study of creativity, language, humanness… so much…..
I chose silence to express my art
In order to truly take a break, I needed to stop talking so much on social media.
Yet, it is the daily sharing of my art with others that fuels me!
So I created a series of silent movies. This allowed me to focus on my art, my exploration of expression, my thoughts about what I was doing and why…. while also staying connected to my tribe.
I wanted to share what I was working on, but I really didn’t have the words. I didn’t know what the words were, and I was too tired to find them.
This disconnect reinforced my position as Captain of my ship! It helped me generate power needed for the future.
Setting boundaries for myself, and giving myself the gift of silence and time empowered me.
What I created during this 2 month study, empowered my art, as much as the boundaries and reward empowered my entrepreneurial spirit.
Behind the scenes, I was far from silent,
I was thrilled and shared regularly with VIP’s
At every stage, I was having fun ~ including figuring out how the heck I was going to paint a 24 foot long roll of paper!
My husband came through with a great plan, we positioned a rod at the ceiling so that I could pull the paper down, and roll it up on the floor as I painted it.
Important to me in this exploration, was the concept of words.
- Can art replace words?
- What if you cannot hear? or See? or Remember?
- What is so special about language, that we’ve created so many….
- If you are mentally or physically weakened, where words are not possible, do you think in pictures? or feelings?
- If spoken words are so unpredictable and dependent on culture and ability, are they not important?
- If I’ve used words that I regret, is regret necessary? …and likewise, If I regret not using words, is that regret necessary?
- Are words spoken as important, or more important than words felt in your heart and mind?
How does this all relate to The Word, The Eternal Word? The 1 word spoken by our Creator, God?
Isn’t that all the evidence I need to know that spoken words are powerful?
This limitless opportunity produced so much energy, that I completed the entire 24′ scroll and the 28 double sided poster boards in about a month.
Every day, from Thanksgiving through to the new year, I was free to paint any subject, I didn’t have to speak on social media (my silence becoming part of the art), and I was excited more and more as I watched myself unfold.
For some reason, Expressions… words, language, words we’ve used to hurt, to love, to inspire, to sing, to pray, to read and write…. became not important to me as the message, the actions, the thought, the commitment, the dreams and goals… the Love became important ~ however it is that we choose to express it and receive it.
What I learned about my art during this process, is that it is indeed language, as in, I use it like a tool (words uttered) to communicate a message. And my art is a gift, like all good gifts… undeserved…. and it’s a gift that requires giving it to you to be fulfilled in me.
I dreamed a lot.
My mind was saying all the things.
- How am I going to include others in this scroll?
- Maybe a rack that could be transported easily?
- Maybe blank scrolls for others to write on?
- Maybe allow others to write on mine?
- Writing or Arting?
- Maybe a box of markers and crayons, so that we don’t damage whichever gallery floor we are welcomed.
- Maybe leave the scroll with scissors for people to cut out pieces, and leave their marks on the reverse, which I would collect to create a new whole….. and then share this whole with others to propel the intentions like a gust of wind….
Yes, I was dreaming… a lot.
I realized that art was like words, you can erase them, but they are better written if you want to remember them. You can shout them, but they are better when they comfort… and so maybe this scroll wasn’t art… because it was loud, reckless, self-rewarding…. maybe like a reminder note to yourself, it can be crumpled and tossed, left unknown and unimportant.
Like words, even when the art is gone, those that it touched will be forever touched. This is true.
And like a love note, some art you want to keep with you forever. This is OK.
It became important to me to share my art ~ as much as I can ~ as soon as I can.
And it became important to me to include others.
I don’t know why, I don’t need to know why. I know which direction to head, and so I’m moving forward with intention, and trust.
I started setting goals, and solidifying purpose, and I became immensely grateful.
It was Christmas
It was winter, the woodstove was roaring every day to keep my studio warm. It wasn’t me chopping the wood and keeping that fire burning… My sweet husband… I don’t even have words….. ironic.
He joined me daily, listening to my art chatter, and feeling the coming of the birth of Christ. We were reminded, it wasn’t about Jesus as a baby, it was about Jesus coming for Easter. I was reminded of true love, true service…..
And my hubby caught on to my scroll work and art language right away…. and when I told him that I felt like this scroll was similar to a totum pole, he told me about wampum (an avid reader). This exploded my heart and mind, and solidified for me, like an A+ from Heaven, that I was doing the right thing, at the right time, and to proceed with confidence.
Follow along, subscribe to VIP’s, come back soon! I want to share with you my finished pieces, and the rest of my wampum story😊👌
