Changes at the Hive: A Mother’s Brief Reflection
I just moved my first born to college last week. It’s an emotional milestone, one every parent dreams of and dreads. If I have done my job right, she will flourish and maybe even resent coming home during the summer months. That thought alone frightens me and breaks my heart. I cannot escape the knowledge that my role (and to some degree, identity) as a parent has altered irrevocably. If I am honest, the past few months I have seen very little of my daughter. She spent three months (or more, thanks to COVID) cramming in as much time with her friends as possible. So a house without her was nearly normal by the time Aug 13 rolled around. But the loss of the POTENTIAL interaction saddens me. I no longer entertain the notions we might cook together, shop together, or share the random hug.
I spent the morning in a motherly fluster- much like a pregnant woman who is said to “ready the nest” right before the arrival of a baby- but in reverse. Mine is gone and I set to work scrubbing floors, scouring the grooves in the cupboard doors with a toothbrush, and all-around looking busy. I say looking busy, because when I stopped to breathe I had made so little progress!
The house may be a disaster, but I am in a creative whirlwind of sorts- okay, maybe just a little whirl. But I have so many ideas working and I want to put my fingers into so many projects! I am continuing to create designs for my Society6 shop and am in the middle of two surface pattern design collections. Yes, two. Because I have a hard time finishing things! I get distracted by some new shiny thing and off I go. I watercolor in the cool morning air before the family gets up. (You can see my watercolor meditations on my Instagram feed.) But the allure of acrylics and oils and larger projects beckons. Perhaps with the changing seasons, when it is no longer comfortable to sit in the path of the rising sun, I will return to my hidden corner at the top of the house and spread out the tubes of creamy acrylics.
Today I share with you a cheerful print I made in tandem with one of my pattern collections. This began with a humble bee painted with carbon ink and a bamboo calligraphy brush. Then I scanned it and opened it in Illustrator to create an infinitely repeating and scalable pattern. After that I styled the text for the affirmation- but I will be using the pattern without text for most applications. What do you think? Feedback is always welcome!
Have a great week! Be bold. Be Beautiful. Be Yourself!
