
Bringing it Back to Joy….Damn it
When the holiday chaos turns me into a grinch, I have creativity to show me the joy.
Ohmyfuckinggad! I just spent like two hours doing gift research and it’s official: The holidays do NOT make me grumpy. Shopping makes me grumpy.
I am not a shopper. I really never have been. I have been letting the same woman at the same boutique in my hometown of New Orleans dress me since I was 16. 16, y’all!!!! I walk in and say, “Jennifer, I need jeans, tanks, and t-shirts that don’t look like t-shirts.” She disappears and brings me things that I love in my size. The end.
I joke that I will always have to visit home because otherwise, I’ll never have any new clothes. It’s true…I haven’t been in a year and I forgot to get tanks the last time I was there and now I have one tank that I wear every day. Gross…but true…
My point is that it isn’t the actual holiday that overwhelms me. It’s the massive expenditure and the time suck that shopping takes that stresses me out.
We are all so friggin’ busy. Between the three party invitations that I received just yesterday, I realize that my schedule is getting quite full and I have to be careful. I cannot afford to take on too much and spread myself too thin. I know where that will lead: exhaustion, anxiety, and me not wanting to leave my bed.
Back to joy!!!! I opened my online holiday sale to the public yesterday. It has been nice for me to look back at the art that I created for this sale. It is all art that breathes optimism, love, laughter, and joy, all feelings that I experienced creating this work, and definitely a feeling that I want to bring into 2020.
I don’t want to start 2020 being more tired than the dead.
I don’t want to start 2020 being more tired than the dead. I want to feel invigorated and alive! Positive and hopeful! I want to begin in a head space that says, “YES to life!” rather than, “Aw fuck, really?”
After my husband decided THIS MORNING that tonight, we should take a family photo for our holiday cards, I was most def in an, “Aw fuck, really?” mindset. Shouldn’t we have done that about a damn month ago?
But then I had to get on the computer and open my online holiday sale to the public. I, once again, had a chance to take a look at the art work. Heart Flowers for love, Love Clubs for laughter, Surfboards for joy, and A Lovely Mess for Optimism. *Deep exhale. Right…that’s what it’s all about.
The intention I want for my life is expressed through my creativity.
I love this work. I love my life. I love my family who supports me being an emotionally challenged artist. And I love you! YOU! Who is on this crazy, beautiful, artventure with me and reminds me that I’m not alone. YOU! The one who has read this bah humbug tirade of a blog post all the way to the end! YOU! Who while reading this thought to yourself, “Oh Thank the Lawd, it’s not just me!”
No, it’s not. For every person out there wearing bells and reindeer antlers, singing, “Falalalala,” there are also those of us in fetal position, rocking back and forth in the corner, wearing a nasty and yellowing tank top saying, “Fufufufufuck,” as well.
How’s your attitude today? In the comments, tell me one holiday "jolly" that made you want to stick hot pokers in your eyes. Today, the Salvation Army bell was this close to going up Santa’s you know what.
All I can say is thank goodness for art. It’s as if the intention I want for my life is expressed through my creativity. Even though my mind may default to the negative, my creative side is always there saying, “Or, it could be like this…”
Alright. Enough of the tirade. Time for joy. It’s studio time.
Shop my Joyful Art for the Holidays Collection by CLICKING HERE.
The paintings at top is Seagull Prism, 8x10, Acrylic & Paper on Canvas and comes in a natural wood floater frame. Make this little surfboard and a large dose of joy your own, by clicking here.
I am an artist and writer, living in Talent, Oregon with my husband and daughter. I use creativity to break through anxiety paralysis, I play in the ocean to stay strong and inspired, and I often visit my hometown of New Orleans, where the rhythm of my heartbeat is renewed. Follow me on Facebook and Instagram where I post stuff sometimes. To hear from me more regularly, join me on this Crazy, Beautiful Artventure.
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