{ me, april and cathy | seattle 2011 }
still slowwwly readjusting to the atmosphere here on earth, having come back from artfest and seattle just last week (or was it the week before last?) sigh...we three have talked about a girl trip for eons and never thought it would happen and then it did. my trip to washington would not have been anywhere near as amazing as it was, if i did not have these awesome women by my side.
i first met april (hereafter known as ape)—the girl in the middle—back in high school, but we weren’t really friends back then. fast forward to 2000, when we were both hired as new teachers at royal elementary school; this would be her first year teaching and my second. we became fast friends (pre-kids) and the two of us would often meet up for shopping, for dinner after work with my husband and our childhood friend mike. then, for our 10th wedding anniversary, steve and i announced we’d be going to japan to celebrate and invited mike to come along (we had been inviting him for years), saying that it would probably be the last time in a long while, that we’d be going. to our surprise, he said “yes”. and then april said, “well, i’m coming too!” and it was on that trip that april and mike fell in love and now they are married and have one son. in between we have seen the best and worst of each other, have logged in hours upon hours over coffee and dessert, been there to fight and make up, shop and eat and surf (well, me sorta, her yes!) and have been there for her wedding, and to witness the births of our children. we have debated and wondered about c.s. lewis’ writing, agonized over our artmaking, shed and shared tears and hugs.
cathy (hereafter known as cat) and i go back to college days. we met somewheres around 1989. my first memory of cat is that she was soooo healthy, opting for a purely vegetarian pizza at a pizza making party. we were 19 back then. a few years later, i would help coordinate her wedding, and a several years later we were there to witness the birth of each of our children. we each concieved our second child days apart. in between all of the weddings and births there have been many mischief making outings, hiking, beach going, running, kickboxing and sleepovers. there have been sobbing tears, laughter, numerous scoldings endured from our husbands for getting into trouble doing something together they deemed dangerous and times when there are just no words, times when we just listen and cry together, and always a loving heart that receives me with grace and compassion. oh, she looks dainty and pretty and all, but this woman can kick butt and has shocked me with some of the things she says (i mean that in the best way possible)!
and then there is crystal, here on the left. i first met crystal neubauer online, on august 1, 2009 when i happened to stumble upon her etsy shop and her gorgeous encaustic collages. soon after, i read through pages and pages of her blog and knew she was a kindred spirit. i sent her a brief email saying how much i enjoyed her work and her process and to my delight, she wrote back. we have been at it ever since, penning long, (sometimes book length) emails to one another. the connection i felt was immediate, first through her work and then through her letters (emails). i am forever grateful that she took the time to respond to me, and that out such humble beginnings, a deep and rich friendship has formed, one that transcends oceans and miles. to be able to meet crystal face to face and sit down at dinner with her is one of the most memorable moments in my life. when she heard i was coming to artfest, the woman flew up to washington from chicago so that we could all meet!!! she is the kindest, sweetest woman, so thoughtful and deep and i am blessed to call her friend and wishing, oh wishing that she wasn’t thousands of miles away.
and then there is sue simpson, here on the right. i had the privilege of meeting sue online jsut last year through crystal, who knew we shared so many similar thoughts, struggles and passions. and she was right! online we have shared our deepest fears, our craziest, zaniest thoughts and our bravest versions of ourselves. we practice being vulnerable together. her artwork is a bold swath of color and cheer that never ceases to inspire me, with her witty use of everyday objects juxtaposed in unique applications...the woman sees. sue gives the best bear hugs. she is kind, smart, and funny and her energy is like sunshine. i suspect that there is a mama bear inside of her and am happy to have been adopted! (sue, did you know i consider myself adopted by you?!)
if all i ever get out of this art life is these women and their friendship, i am a blessed woman indeed. everything else that comes with being an indie artist is GRAVY, i tell you, gravy. these women have my back, they do. they are what julia cameron calls my “believing mirrors”; they mirror back to me the truth of who i am, tell me that who i hope to become is possible. they love me, just for me. oh, how blessed i am to have this community, one person at a time. and there are other amazing people in my life, so many that i could write a book about them. you know who you are. yes, YOU!
i’d love to hear who your community is. even better, feel free to write a blog post and leave a link here, in the comments so that we can all follow along. thank you for being a part of my community here :) on this little blog.
