Let me switch gears on you for a minute…
This business, my blog, my social media… They aren’t intended to be only for sharing my artistic side. It’s not just to promote and sell my work.
It is meant to be a space where I can share about every messy facet of life. It’s about encouraging others to embrace the mess, experience it, and grow through it to find the masterpiece waiting on the other side. I know I haven’t share much to that effect as of yet, but I want you to know that you can expect it. That may not be everyone’s cup of tea, and some may prefer to follow just for the art and choose to unfollow if it gets to personal up in here or if it seems like I’m completely switching lanes. But that’s okay, because this is my space, and I intend to be unapologetically me – with regards to my art, my parenting, marriage, my personal growth and overall journey through this messy, magnificent life.
I believe that being real and sharing more about myself will help my followers relate to me more, and that’s what I want. When I came up with the idea for this page, I struggled to find a way I could incorporate my love for art and desire to turn it into something MORE, with my desire to add value to the lives of others and blog about daily struggles [messes, if you will] and all the trials and triumphs that are experienced along the way. I finally settled on a name that I adore, and think is absolutely fitting for my “bigger picture.” However, I got swept up in creating art and not being ready to be vulnerable again. I wasn’t sure how to transition into something more serious, but I suspect I do it the same why I did it all to begin with: Just START somewhere. So that’s what I’m doing. This post is my “start.”
“Say Yes to The Mess” means all messes. It doesn’t just mean to let go and get creative and forget about the cleanup that eventually comes after. It means to say YES to the blankets and pillows strewn around the room covered in dog hair. Say YES to there not being a chair to sit at the dining table for a few nights while your 6-year-old continues to be the creative, fun-loving kid she still is in her blanket fort. Hell, say YES to the mess of getting down there with her! Say YES to playing one more game, to treating yourself to a nap, to reading a book or going for a walk – by saying YES to letting the dirty dishes sit awhile longer and the floor go unswept until another day. Say YES to her helping with the sprinkles, even though you know you’ll be finding little nonpareils underfoot for the next year.
It’s about letting go of the unattainable idea of perfection. It’s about trying to step aside from my anxiety and letting go of the need to be in control. It’s about enjoying the little moments, the precious memories that come from those messes. It means to say YES to the hard things. My workouts sure as hell aren’t done in proper form and don’t look pretty. It’s not easy any more right now. They are tough. They are a MESS. But I know I need to say YES to that one, too!
This isn’t my “highlight reel.” This is my unedited, uncensored, unapologetic, raw self. I’m a little bit awkward, and a whole lotta weird. This is my mess, and I want to share it with others and inspire them to share theirs, too. So hopefully you’ll stick around and muddle through it with me while we create and find the masterpieces that await us at the end.
