This summer has been about patience. Not just the don't shout at your child kind of patience (though that has been needed). But more so the don't let go of your dream component of patience. I set out at the beginning of the summer with my emphasis (creatively) on collecting inspiration. And the summer has been full of inspiration. I knowingly engaged this summer with less time for my creative outlets and more focus on the littles in my life. I was able to do a few commissions (I'm so grateful). And here, at the end of summer I got to follow a creative path of my choosing.
I hesitated for a moment in beginning this piece. Wondering which inspiration I should pursue. During the school year, I was able to keep closer pace with my inspiration creating nearly a piece a week. But now I had poppies, blueberries, waterlilies, hydrangeas, succulents all calling my name at once. I decided to go with my most recent in time inspiration. Succulents.
At first I felt a little reservation if I could do it. This is perhaps one of the more complicated paintings I've attempted. And yet. I knew from my hydrangea work: one petal at a time. My gardenia work: trust the process. You don't have to know the whole picture (Isn't it nice how lessons in life build.) I told a dear friend: "This piece will either be a disaster or something special."
You see. Succulents are all about patience. They hold extra water in dry climates. And the invitation I hear whispered from this canvas is to hold on. To gather the inspiration through droughts of expression. Through seasons of overwhelm. To know that patience can be beautiful and life sustaining.
So for today, my hope and prayer for each of us is that we might breathe into what is unfolding in our life right now. That we might breathe in patience. That we might remember the beauty of a breathe, a moment, a day. That we trust the process and trust our lives will unfold at just the right pace. That we hold onto inspiration even when it can't take form. And if we can find that ability to see the exquisite beauty right here in this moment. We will have found a living picture of patience.
"Why should I be unhappy? Every parcel of my being is in full bloom." Rumi
"Every Parcel" 48' x 48" (c) Bronwen Mayer Henry (Acrylic on Canvas) (Available for Purchase, Contact Artist for Details.)