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My uncle (through marriage) still lives near the Big Muddy Badlands (Treaty Four), of the southwest. He turned 90 this month and I wouldn’t have missed his birthday celebration for anything. A practical, no-nonsense rancher, I was surprised at how easefully he accepted the gifts, large cake and dozens of good wishes from family and friends. He and I love that land and its beings in similar ways, I’m certain. The area has often been my inspiration over the years, in life and in studio.

I consider myself a straightforward person with a keen eye for beauty and a big heart. I don’t normally share a lot about myself, as I don’t think my life is any more interesting than that of anyone else. This last year, however, I’ve had cause to reflect on why I choose to live as an ‘artist’ and Yoga practitioner. Perhaps there are others who share the same experience and/or might benefit from my reflections. In the coming year I will offer a series of blogs posts focused on my search for creative and spiritual authenticity.

There was a mist this morning when I got up to check the weather. I ran back inside to grab Lily, my 18 year old orange tabby who is dealing with fourth stage kidney disease, arthritis and a new mass that I discovered yesterday. The simple beauty and stillness of the mist was not lost on her, the many birds singing to each other in the Village, or me. We all know it’s the little things that matter.

Given space, time and a range of materials, these ‘non-artists’ allowed their right brains to exercise themselves a little. The results were not only heart-warming to witness, the emotional impacts were, at times, astonishing.