A Season of Growth

 The calendar page has turned once again and September greeted me with sunshine and warmth. I have spent summer mornings in my garden, watching the birds and squirrels as they come to the feeders and taking some slow pauses to read.

Despite the little pause of my constant studio routine, I have felt a time of refreshing and growth. I patiently protected my Morning Glories this year so they would have a chance to bloom. They spent months behind a net so that the bunnies would give them a chance. Now they greet me with their vibrant colours. They have transitional colours  in them and delicate details that I am so grateful to see.

The garden will start to fade as the nights become cooler but I can honestly say that I took the time to appreciate the joys it had to offer this summer.

The research and reading I have been doing has launched me into so many areas of discovery. I watch as colours from Burne Jones' paintings start to influence my own colour choices. The stylized flowers of William Morris are becoming more and more ingrained in my thinking and you will see more of them in my work as time progresses. Although I usually dread the fall and winter season, I feel grateful for the summer growth. Each season has a beauty of its own and lessons we can glean.

I am constantly leaning into nature more deeply and appreciating the wonders of the seasons. I have lots of classes coming up as we go through the fall season. I will be teaching A Time to Refine through Acorn Arts later this month. This course will intentionally lead you along a path of growth and refinement in your flourishing skills. There is always so much more to learn and to know as we work with offhand flourishing and I can never teach it all in just one course. I hope that if you have studied with me in the past, you will find new truths and insights as I share my own avenues of growth with you. I want you to be able to use the flourish for all that it is worth and watch how it can bring skills that you never thought possible.  The process of refining skills, observing and really appreciating our journey has been on my mind for the past few months. We need a healthy respect for time. The clock and the seasons certainly don't slow down at all, but I am finding myself more mindful of the time needed to do my best work.

It may seem like a luxury not to rush, but in the end, I have found that it has been saving me time as I avoid corrections or even restarting a project. I hope that September brings you a joyful greeting and that you will take the time to observe its offerings. Do the work that is in your heart to do! There is such wonder on this journey. Appreciate the beauty that each day brings to you. Sending hugs to you all.Thank you for your constant support and your emails. I look forward to hearing from you.