When my nest emptied and the tears stopped occupying my thoughts, I started taking photos. I had no idea how much I would love grabbing a camera, especially at sunrise, walking out the door to my yard or neighborhood, and teaching myself about photography.
Two years ago, I finally stopped using my throw away camera and bought a digital.
Now I am capturing SHADOWS. Who hasn’t done some psychological work on their shadow side whether they wanted to or not? But now, through photography, I see the mystery and beauty of shadows.
Other people told me when their time freed, they took watercolor classes, painting, scrapbooking, jewelry making, knitting, singing classes, piano, baking classes, cello, guitar, assemblage art, writing poetry, memoir, fiction, and mystery, gardening, decorating and wood work with drills.
Well, I am sure you can add to the list.
Art is healing and a surprise. You think you have the idea and that idea feeds another. When you are out and about, suddenly you see things differently because you shifted your creativity. Your eyes are drawn to different details and responses.
Jasmine told me she pressed big leaves and flower petals. She wasn’t sure what she would do with them, but she liked looking for the plants and pressing them in her yellow pages book. For her too, it was the element of surprise that she loved. Seeing them change in the book and then lifting them onto paper or glass or canvas.
Remember when you were bored going on museum trips as a young child? No touching. Stay in line. Hold someone’s hand. Well, maybe you were one of the ones who loved the museum. As adults, more of you visit museums now and secretly dream of opening a gallery, volunteering as a docent, being an artist with opening night, taking your journal and pencil sketching what you see, or fantasizing about meeting the love of your life as you fake some dialogue about ART just to keep the connection going.
Give yourself quiet time and ask yourself:
1. What do you think your inner artist would love for you to have fun bringing forth?
2. Do you have someone to support you in finding that dormant part?
3. What did you love doing as a child?
4. Who do you wish you could have a conversation with about the artist within in them?
As I have shared before, when my house got silent and I started building my website, I actually remembered my third grade teacher saying to me, “You could be a writer when you grow up. This story is really good, Natalie.” I still see her sitting at the brown desk and my standing beside her when she passed me my story with a big red “A” written on the cover. I was in third grade. Someone in your memory bank could remind you what might be fun for you that you had to put on the shelf until you had more freedom.
I love writing because I never know where I will be taken. You can see surprises are fun for me and I love surprising others.
Just begin something small this week and see where it takes you.
Share with us what you discover or email, natalie@emptynestsupport.com
Have fun,
Natalie
Los Angeles
818-763-0188
Natalie Caine, M.A. natalie@lifeintransition.org
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