Bandaid

{This series was inspired by my son's sixth grade english assignment

 of writing for six minutes, without edits or overthinking it.  

I'll be posting daily quick writes for the month of March.}

I realized tonight that one year ago, on the eve of my mother's birthday, my first essay was published over at Mamalode.com.  Setting those words free and sharing them with the world was like ripping off my creative bandaid.  It hurt a little, but my artistic tendencies needed an outlet and it felt so good to have a way to express the feelings that had been bottled up for so long inside of me.

Ever since that nerve-wracking day, so much has happened.  I poured myself into different means of artistic expression that ended up bringing me so much unexpected joy - pens, good paper, watercolor and hand lettering.  Accepting my imperfect handwriting as an art form brought me a satisfaction that surprised and delighted me.  My imperfections could be celebrated and even appreciated for what they were - perfectly imperfect.

I put things into motion and tried them on for size.  Writing retreats, art workshops and a trip to the edge of the continent in Homer, Alaska fueled my need to make art.  Stories, poems and illustrations became the way I communicated my feelings and, as a result, I wanted to set them free and share with others any way that I could.

The Mamalode essay, Snap, was just the beginning for me.  There's a lot more hidden deep in dark within me that I need to turn into something beautiful.

One bandaid at a time…