​October is a time to 'Give'. This seems like a better topic for November or December. However, as I looked back at how we often spend our October's I realized this has become a time when we often give because of our garden harvest.

​School starts for many around August and September. The seasons are changing, slowing down into winter so what better time to talk about 'Learning'?

​My show, 'Reconstruct, Rebuild, & Rediscover' is now open in Idaho Falls, ID at the Willard Gallery! The show will run through Nov. 3rd, 2024.

​What do I want to say about this show? I feel like the artist's statement covers most of it which you can find here, however, this was something that was a significant achievement for me, especially at this time in my life.

​August is a 'Time to Share'.

I think about things that I have learned over the years, skills, hobbies, and anything that would be of benefit to someone else.

I'm often hesitant to share myself with others. I feel that what I have to share might not be that valuable to others. Who doesn't already have this recipe? I'm not the only one that takes photographs so what makes me so special?

Why are we hesitant to share?

July is a time to 'Enjoy Nature'. Really every day should be a day to enjoy nature, but I chose this theme for this month because July seems to be the month that everything seems alive and thriving in nature. I find myself spending more time outside this month than any other month of the year because being outside is my happy place.

What is it about being outdoors that I love the most? TIME SLOWS DOWN!

​Summer seemed like the right time to talk about travel! Traveling has broadened my perspectives on life in so many ways that it is hard to narrow down how to tackle this topic. But I wanted to come at this from two different perspectives.

How do I take 'Time to Treasure' the art of making?

When I first thought of this theme for the Gift of Time project I didn't know how I would relate this to my art process! But the more I thought about treasures, things started taking shape for me.​

When I talked in my last blog post about a treasure being inspiring, something that fills me with joy or touches my heart, I realized that is exactly what my art does for me!

​A few years ago we had a dying tree in our front yard. As I stared out my window at this tree every day for months I felt as though the tree was trying to speak to me; not in a way where I heard voices but in feelings, thoughts, and ideas.

This tree inspired me and I felt the need to create art in a different way than I ever had before. It was daunting. It felt ill-timed and inconvenient. It wasn't clear what the outcome would be.

​Spring is here. It's common to think about growth during this time as many plants seem to awaken after their long winter nap. I eagerly look forward to starting my gardening and outdoor projects. I plant seeds, often without thinking much about the miracle it is for something so small to grow and produce something much greater than the simple seed it started as.

But over the years, seeds and growth and change seem to be on my mind much more than other things. It might be because I have small children and I'm watching a different kind of miracle grow. It might be because I'm intentionally living a slower-paced life where I can cultivate seeds on my small piece of land.

One thing I've noticed is that we are very similar to seeds that grow, and time is a key element in this process. Are there seeds inside of us waiting to be discovered? planted? or brought back to life again? What if there are and all we need is time to grow?