I love trying new things, but it can be hard to fight that inner voice that tells me to curl up in a ball, make myself small, and maybe no one will notice me, maybe no one will notice that I don’t really belong. I try not to let this inner voice win too often, because if you pretend to be small for too long, it’ll become true. And I don’t want that. What I want is to unapologetically be the best version of myself.
As part of my new journey into self care, I’ve committed to trying one completely new thing a month for a year. And this is going to push me out of my comfort zone big time.
For November I joined the Urbandale Art Gallery planning committee. I had a show with them earlier in the year and learned that they were looking for new volunteers and figured this would be a good way to get involved and give back. So far we’ve been working on scheduling artists for shows in 2018.
First we had to review the entries and then agree on the chosen artists. From here I thought it would be easy, but there’s a lot to do with working with each artist’s schedule, planning group shows, and dealing with artists who haven’t really replied. We are still working on the schedule, so if you, or an artist you know is interested in showing in the gallery, visit here for more info, or reach out to me.
On a fun note, I did get to attend and help with the Iowa Watercolor Society’s opening reception. There was a good turn out and I was able to visit with some of the artist and see lots of wonderful art.
So I would say November’s new thing was a success. I did realize that part of the purpose of self care is to help deal with stress, and this may not have accomplished that, but it’s been a fun journey so far.
~Autumn