Thursday, August 26, 2010

Pieces left behind

Today is a good day for reflection. Sitting in my sunroom with the windows wide open, a bright sunny day and cool breezes. A cup (ok, 3 cups) of coffee and fresh out of the oven choc. chip muffins. The kids are back in school. It's quiet, just me and the dog.

I haven't blogged in almost a year. A year ago, my husband and I started a new home business. We turned a corner of our basement into a small screen printing shop and promotional products office. Our website is www.rushcreekpromotionals.com. But this post isn't about marketing. Today, I'm tired of marketing, of learning the ins and outs of the business (sometimes the hard way), of being on the phone.(if you read my blog, you know I HATE the phone!).

So, my work environment has taken a turn for the worse. I went form a lovely little shop a few years back to a concrete corner in the basement. But, hey, I'm actually making a little bit of money. My first child is headed to college next year so it was time to get a big girl job. And I still get to be creative- only with Corel Draw on the computer designing for t-shirts.

But today, I'm sitting in my former "art studio" now all cleaned up with most of my art supplies packed away in storage bins. I pulled out some of my old art and hung it on the walls. I caught up on some creative blogs that I haven't taken the time to read in a very long time.

And I felt...sad? nostalgic? I don't know. I haven't created anything with my hands for over a year. But when I look at my old art, I wonder...have I left a lovely piece of myself behind? Will this piece be resurrected some day or take a differnt form?

Because we all leave pieces of ourselves along the way. Sometimes we pick them back up at a later time and sometimes they remain a part of who we used to be.

I miss my the piece of me that created art. In fact, until this morning, I had lost the piece of me that loved to sip a cup of coffee, enjoy nature and do nothing. How could I have forgotten how much I need that piece of me?