“Renewal of My Spirit” and the tree that changed my life.

“Renewal of My Spirit”

- A journal entry -

This is the willow tree that stood as a mirror before me.

I remember the day vividly, though nothing about that day was vivid.

At the time I was still lost in the disorienting nature of an illness that struck my nervous system. Trapped in the nightmare of powerlessness, confusion, loneliness, and fear, I desperately tried to fix myself. I desperately tried to fix my life. I desperately tried to keep it all together. Yet the harder I tried, the more it all fell apart.

But this tree, and this photo, and my imagination, and my resilience came together at this moment in time as if the universe had been leading me to this point all along.

I created a piece of art that day and changed my life forever. This is the day the color came back. This is the day the shards of my shattered identity pieced themselves together in a brilliant and beautiful mosaic. My eyes welled with tears of awe and gratitude for who I was and what I was capable of.

This is the day my spirit was renewed.

“Renewal of My Spirit” is the most important artwork I’ve ever created. It may be the most important thing I’ve ever done (for me at least). I’m filled with joy thinking about how this piece will evolve with me over the years.

2024 approaches quickly and with it, the one year anniversary of my life as an artist. A journey I so very much would have liked to share, but realize more everyday, it’s a journey I had to set out on independently and face whatever fears I harbored.

“Renewal of My Spirit” - let’s take on 2024 with the same passion we took on 2023, only with more compassion, more love, and more determination.