First Blog Ever! My Mini Art Retreat

So.....I have always wanted to start a blog.  It is intimidating, right?  But, what isn't??  So, here I am stepping out of the proverbial box o' comfort.  Yay, me.

I am just back from what I am calling my mini art retreat. I took two classes from artist/teacher Seth Apter at an art shop in Alexandria, VA called Artistic Artifacts.  One was on Friday night and the other all day Saturday.  So I decided to stay the night in a nearby hotel, making a lil' trip out of it.  I also went early and walked around Del Ray and Old Town, two areas of Alexandria I have always liked.

I adore my life and my family.  Don't get me wrong. But I have learned something about myself in recent years.  In order for me to enjoy the noisy bits of my life--ie, I have a 6 year old and a 7 year old--I HAVE to have some silence.  Some ME time.  O.M.G. the TV + the bickering + loud toys + all the noise that is already in my head at all times = Cray Cray Kerry.  I feel so over-stimulated when it is like that.  I wish I could tune out some of it, like some people can.  But, alas there it is.

So, YES to grouping my two classes into a length of time that felt like a tiny get-away.  I allowed myself to just walk around and follow my heart.  Wander into shops.  Sit and journal in cafes.  Sit on a hotel bed and read a newspaper and magazines and a book.  I kept a vow to myself that I would not even turn on the TV!  YES to quiet.

And Y E S to taking art classes!  I will be a lifetime learner.  I believe we all should.  I love coming home with new experiences and new ideas and techniques to try in my work.  Both with Seth Apter, I took a class on altering photos and one on stenciling.  These are two things I don't do too much of in my work so I was glad to try them.

Learning, meeting people at the classes, being surrounded by lots of creativity, self-paced art-making, quiet, self-care.  Yes, please.

Now I am home with all of the crazy that that can mean...and I love that, too.  Off to pop some corn and watch a movie with all my peeps.  xoxo