I am just starting to recover from the Craft Show weekend. (I never expected doing shows to take so much out of me.) As I am going through my boxes of my creations that are left over, I am remembering the women that I watched discover them, pick them up and their face light up.
This didnt happen a lot, to be perfectly honest the show ended up being more of a country and christmas craft show, and my stuff was definitely an odd ball. I had lots of browsers, LOTS of "I dont get it" looks, but then every 30 minutes or so, there would be this one girl just standing in my space getting more and more excited with every moment she was there.
I dont think this had anything to do with my artistic ability; I believe this was a genuine moment of connection and revelation for these beautiful women. In the same way that creating each of my paintings and putting the words of affirmation and empowerment that I needed in those moments healed my soul, these girls were hearing those messages they needed right then from my work. I was honored. I was humbled. It was beautiful to witness.
There was an incredible moment, with this one beautifully seasoned woman, who looked at me with tears in her eyes and told me thank you for making these images. I realized as I stood there and held her hand that I was touching into more than just a deep appreciation of funky art. She was healing a bit of her soul in a place that hadnt been touched in a long time. I don't know what her story was, but there was definitely a deep well of heart and soul to her, and I wanted to thank her for letting me see a bit of that beauty. Then there was a truly lovely, what I am guessing to be, high school girl, who kept coming back every couple hours over the two days just to sit in my space and look through the journals.
I expect that she has an old soul, a deep emotional maturity to her that just isn't completely understood or appreciated by her peers. I felt that way as a girl, and when I saw something that made me feel understood or connected to something bigger, I wanted to hold on tight to it and surround myself with its presence as well. (I hope she visits my blog and stays in touch :) Some of my other favorite moments were the Sunday returning moms, (moms who had been in my booth on Saturday with their daughters and one of them had fallen in love with a particular thing, and mom came back the next day to surprise her on Christmas with it).
I met such incredible women this weekend, got to enter into their stories for just a brief glimpse, and it was absolutely a blessing to my soul. Thank you beautiful girls! You inspire and encourage me to continue with my dream. I hope that you found some spark to empower your own heart journeys.
I do have quite a bit of journals and jewelry left from the show, as well as some mounted prints on wood blocks, and other fun stuff. I plan to start listing on Etsy sometime this week through next (it will take awhile, there are quite a few fun things to share with you). I would love to get these journals under some more Christmas trees or as a gift to self and start spreading the creative love around the world. Christmas Count Down Starts Tomorrow!! I am going to get out the decorations today. (I am looking for any fun Advent Ideas for toddlers, BTW). Have a blessed day! :)
