I know, I know. I have not been in communication in quite some time! And why? This winter I worked full time in my studio. No time to blog! I had a deadline to finish 7 artist books about Biblical women. Through the work of research, experimenting, and sampling, I stayed focused and ‘above the fray’ of the madness going on around us. I was tossed way back into history – 2000 BCE to be exact. I bought some goat hair and began spinning and weaving, as if my house and clothing were dependent on me. Winter snow whirled around me, beautiful and serene.
I was living from the past, and very much in the present, the day to day making of art. But staying in the present is hard when so much depends on the future. I wanted to put the future out of my mind. How would all these problems on earth end? My jaw clenched at night, I yearned for that glass of wine a little earlier in the day, I could not watch the news after dinner.
How was it that I had learned to cope throughout 2021? What was I doing that I hadn’t done pre-pandemic, pre-war? I realized that I’ve created quite a few routines and practices that I’ve been using in these dark times to take care of myself and my work, and to resist other not so good behaviors. Here, I’ve documented my list for you in the hopes that you will share your own coping ideas.
- Walking. More importantly, getting outside. Even in bone-cold weather, the activity nourishes the body. I learned last year it’s all about the gear. So I got myself some fleece lined leggings from Athleta, a cashmere hat from Amazon, super thermal gloves at my local outdoor gear store, to go with my long North Face down jacket and Ugg boots. And I go out with a dear friend. We walk, we talk, we breathe deeply.
- Meditation. I’ve had sleepless nights this year, and when that happens I meditate in my cocoon, I mean my bed.My favorite app is Insight Timer where I listen to Mindfulness Daily meditations with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach, a 40-day program that I can return to as often as I like. It brings me back to the present, and most often everything in the present seems to be just fine. The app is free!
- Volunteer to do what you love. I am a former Museum Educator, so I love working with young people at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art looking at art, making art. I get to think carefully about a work of art and help decide how to present that work to kids. It takes me deep into art, process, education. And once you’ve got a group of twenty 3rd graders in front of you, it’s pretty hard to dwell in the morass of world problems.
- Tennis. For me tennis is one of those activities in which the only thing you can think about is the next few seconds – and hitting the ball. Hitting it hard and accurately is divine, but just trying to hit a really well-stroked ball, or a successful overhead, or chasing a ball down to the point of out-of-breathness, is best! I need to play early or late in the day, and usually only one day per week, and Midcoast Recreation Center (MRC) works.
- Friends and Family. .Last winter I spent a snowy six weeks helping to take care of my grandchildren in Richmond, VT, near Burlington. We hiked, skied, sledded drank hot cocoa in warming cabins. I had all the right gear and was never cold, not once. (Well, maybe once at the mountain in 15 degree weather.) It was magical!
Weeks filled with all my grandkids are great. We play games, tell jokes, take funny photos, draw and paint, bake cookies. Play a game of chess or gin rummy or poker with them or their parents – everyone feels really good. Have a beer!
- Get a Massage. My neck and shoulders were killing me! One of the studio artists here, Olivia Joy St. Claire said call Jillian Tullgren. I believe that Deeply Rooted Wellbeing is where you want to be. Your tied up muscles will get untangled. Jillian has a new studio at Camden Whole Health, 93 Elm St. Jillian says, “My goal, aside from providing therapeutic bodywork, is to make that experience affordable.”
- Learn something new or take a workshop in something you want to get better at. Right now, I’m looking forward to a poetry workshop with Maine poet Dawn Potter in May. We’ll be compiling poetry chapbooks which requires editing, ordering, perhaps some new poems. Working with other like-minded people is inspiring. How often are there six or eight of anything all trying to do better at what they love? I am currently getting my summer / fall schedule of workshops together at 26 Split Rock Cove.
- Writing. I love to write.The crafting of something new is pleasurable and hard. Writing is not something I can do the entire day, but since I love to do it, it always satisfies a part of me that needs to express something. Here is a poem I just wrote. I’m trying to notice something every day and write about it.
MARCH 11
The world’s a cradle. You must see for yourself.
Foxes have found each other, a host of robins
arrive early, chatting it up under the crabapple.
The porcupine seems to be making a home,
perhaps she’s eyeing my porch.
Love is in the air.
I’ve named the her, Needles.
She’s round and low to the ground,
waddling around with her blond-tipped quills.
It’s hard to tell her front end from the back
except for the flat spiked paddle of a tail,
her dangerous weapon.
I laugh at the manic behavior, turkey
struts and bald eagles chasing,
the positive valence of each creature’s
mating dance, the displays of finery,
the clucking and peeping to accompany
this dance of spring.
- For the last three years I’ve been playing in a rock music ensemble once a week at Midcoast Music Academy in Rockport, ME. It’s another one of those activities that fully engage body and mind. I always leave smiling and singing.
- Last word, Reading. My days have been full, I’ve accomplished quite a bit, and I l always look forward to a good novel at night. I just finished Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell, and Bewildered, by Richard Powers.
I don’t want to make light of what we’ve been through. WE’VE BEEN THROUGH A MAJOR SEA CHANGE! (See The Fourth Turning, William Strauss & Neil Howe). I’d like to know what is helping you cope in these difficult times. Leave your suggestions for me.