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a gentle unfurling

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This was my book stack for 2022. It comprised of new and old reads that I was hoping to read and reread this year as I focused on my own (creative) personal journey. So I mixed in a lot of “self-help” books with creative ones, and some cute fiction to spark the imagination. I still have a handful of books I still have yet to read, but I'm going to share throughout the month the ones I did finish.

Do you have any special reads you tackled this year? xx

"a gentle unfurling" is about slowing down, being mindful, intentional, and authentic. It's about unraveling in the best way possible, baring the soul to expose the true self, giving yourself grace when you need to, and space to be spread open.

"a gentle unfurling" was gifted to me by a dear friend, who uttered these words some time ago in response to a few intentions I had set for myself. She paraphrased, "it's like a gentle unfurling," and that phrase has stuck with me ever since. xx

Some shots of Central Park in autumn:

✩ Rowboats on The Lake
✩ The Boathouse
✩ The Foliage
✩ Bow Bridge
✩ Path in The North Woods

November 9th, 2022

My word for 2022 was Becoming and this is what I wrote the beginning of this year.

—

Posted on Jan 3rd, 2022:

My One Little Word for 2022 is BECOMING.

Every year I set specific intentions, and each year I choose a word and supporting words that encompass those intentions to guide my year.

This year I chose BECOMING, which was a supporting word last year to my guiding phrase "a gentle unfurling."

BECOMING means "beginning to be."

A lot of why I chose this word this year is rooted in my sense of self and how for all of my life I never felt like I truly belonged anywhere. I sometimes blame this on my Type 4 personality, that whole yearning of Fours to find out who they are and their purpose; their overall search for their identity. I've been searching for myself for a very long time and haven't quite found who I really am.

I often think I'm an enigma. I have parts of me that contradict themselves and don't make much sense. But I think that's because I'm always pulling from the outside instead of looking within. Because when you look within, you begin to realize that there's absolutely nothing wrong with being a contradiction. We are all contradictions. We all live within "the and space." These dichotomies are what make each of us real and unique.

But I've recently realized that if I keep searching for myself, I'm never going to truly find myself. Because maybe you simply don't find yourself, but instead you have to become yourself. Just like we mold our children, we have to mold ourselves into the people we want to be.

So this year, I vow to stop searching for myself in the void and begin becoming the self I want to be.

I signed up for @aliedwards' One Little Word course this year. It's my very first time taking the course instead of trying to keep my word on my own. I feel like having an introspective, creative guide to follow for the year will help me keep accountable to my word and actually take action on it.

I'm very much looking forward to this journey. xx

—

I don't think I fully shared my OLW journey on this feed this year, so I'll be sharing what I posted on my personal account here throughout the month. xx

"It's curiosity that saves me today."

I wrote these words down some time ago—I believe it was back in April 2021—and they pretty much sum up my entire existence. I tend to thrive when I'm working, learning, and creating new things. It is the novelty and my innate curiosity that drive me. I am most content when I'm discovering and tackling something new and exciting. I often fall into very low lows when I feel stagnant and stuck, the lack of motivation contributing to an awful downward spiral. In these times, I'm often seeking something new to rescue me.

“'The best thing for being sad,' replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, 'is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn.'” ― T.H. White, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙊𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙆𝙞𝙣𝙜

How do you get through your days? What saves you? xx

I seek and nurture gems.

My art is kind of like this. I suppose it would be too since it's an expression of who I really am. I'm a myriad of personalities. Each one is expressed through a different medium.

"a gentle unfurling" began as a self-portrait challenge by and for myself. It was a project I began and subsequently abandoned shortly thereafter. I think it was because it wasn't a truly authentic project. It only showed one aspect of myself. I want a place that show's me as a whole, so I'm revamping this space to be that.

So if you're into whimsical art, photography, words, and sounds follow along. I'm hoping to share my creativity in all the ways that make me me. So welcome. xx

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