noise






















This.
All of this (including that beady-eyed coon caught in our garage! EEK!) is our real-life currently.  I've been debating a little bloggy break but not for the reasons you think.  Not as some campaign to secretly draw in a crowd to watch and wait for me to come back.  No, just to quiet some of the noise. That prayer/urging has been on my mind lately.  

I don't know if your life feels as complicated as mine or as full but I'm guessing it does.  The cooking, the serving, the making of art, the book-reading, the waiting for adoption emails, the garden tending...all of it comes this time of year. Life is busting at the seams and adding the noise of trying to figure out why 4 people unfollowed me on Instagram and was it because I unfollowed half of my people to add some quiet, just clangs the cymbals of extra noise a bit too loudly. 

As with most things, social media can be a force used for good. I've seen and heard it happen.  I surely must believe in the value of showing up and telling our stories, bit by bit, even if technology is our pencil and the computer is our paper. Yet one day last week I'd just finished a book that really made me think and I found myself wondering about our society that preaches, and even writes full books on how to be social media savvy.  It's a given that if you're in the handmade or artsy world you must have a social media presence.  As an artist I feel the pull and pressure to post certain amounts a day, I hear the voices in my head taunting me that if I don't keep up someone else's art will shout more loudly and send me to the back of the line.  But the truth is, I don't really want my place in the line anyway.  Not if it comes with the hefty price tag of checking the phone morning, noon, and night.  Not if it means having one hand on the phone advertising my shop and one on the spoon stirring the pot.  The stirring of the pot is so much better, by the way.  No offense to my sweet little art shop but have you ever stirred a pot slowly, watching every single little thing happening inside?  Smelling the scent of a good thing coming wafting from the deep bellows of the bowl?  It's THAT good, I promise. 

I sat down today wanting to empty some thoughts.  I really DID "unfollow" a whole slew of folks on Instagram (nothing personal just needing less mindless scrolling), and I've been trying to stay off the most depressing thing I could imagine-Facebook.  If the news doesn't get you there, the photos making it look like everyone else is so much more social and fun than you, will come soon after.  And it's just simply not the truth. 

Life is best when I quiet the noise.  When I pop into the blog like a dear friend that I'm catching up with on the sweet, savory, and sometimes sad things of life.  In the past year I've already felt myself go with the flow by not jumping onto the bandwagon that tells me I need to get back to pre-baby weight and look like I never had one (or two, lol) and I suppose this is another bandwagon I just simply must be on as well.  I won't market myself and wear my self-esteem down because  the computer said so.  

You guys, I make art because I breathe.  I want others to know about it, but mostly because at Market a few weeks ago I heard time after time that my art was "happy".  You mean my fingers have the power through Jesus to put some happy back into the world?  I'm in, I'm all in.  I believe in the healing, wonderful power of art and photography through the lens Jesus Christ helps me see through.  I believe in slow walks, setting the phone down, inviting people over, and sitting with my girls without taking a single photo.  I believe in browsing cookbooks, silence in the garden, slow walks to the mailbox, and keeping ideas safe in my mind instead of sharing.  I believe in lighting candles and turning ALL the string lights on, in doing things like watching a favorite show and not needing to broadcast it, in having neighbors over when I'm make-up free and just me. I believe less is more. 

I'm quite flabbergasted as to what the point of this post has been or whether I should post it at all.  It's so early and dark and I can hear a little one stirring already.  I feel like this post quite resembles my cooking lately, when I throw a bunch of random things in a pot and call it "made-up soup".  Here's the thing though, the "made-up soup" always, always tastes better than when I following the recipe down to the last crumb.  

I'm not leaving blogging or anti-Instagram.  In fact, I quite like it.  But I am all for letting the pressure out of my chest that so desperately wants to market myself and have hundreds of sales.  Instead, I'll let the air out and sail through the sky like a balloon, landing some place nice where the life is slow, the capturing is intentional and healing, and the art is made because "if the music's good you dance" and if the fingers are still working, you paint. 

See you around, or on Instagram as this post comes on a day I DO have new BIG photo canvases coming to my house today and I can't stand how excited I am to see them.  A check off the 'ol bucket list.  Let's sail through the sky today my friends.  I'm happy you're here. 


7 comments:

  1. I love this blog post! I agree! I think we need to be more in the moment and quit letting distractions take away from life. I am trying to enjoy those simple things in life more, and even enjoy and appreciate those things I do not enjoy doing too much. I love this quote: "The more distractions that surround us, the easier it is to treat casually, ignore, and then forget our connection with God." Donald Hallstrom.
    Please don't stop posting. Your posts are inspirational and I love your thoughts! You are sharing happiness in the world with your art and ideas.

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  2. Sara, I feel so much like this many days. We went on vacation for about 4 days this past week and I kept feeling like I had an obligation to blog or post and then I would catch myself and just say how ridiculous that is, to feel this way. We all need to do more living and less posting.

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  3. This is a lovely and thought-provoking post, Sara! Good job asking the hard questions and waiting in the sometimes-awkward silence for the answers. I will miss your posts if you are here less, but believe you should do just what God leads you to do. I'll be happy to see your words and pictures any time they do appear. Bless you, sweet girl!

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  4. Sara, I love the honesty of your posts and the beauty you capture with your camera. You are such an inspiration to me as I seek to follow Jesus in my 'job' as Mama and my urge to be so many other things aswell. You encourage me to slow down, to soak it up, to keep creating even when no-one will see it, love it, or want it. You are no alone, life is busy and overwhelming. Social media isn't always your greatest friend, but your blog isn't like the posts I read on facebook or the stream of endless perfect pictures i see on instagram; the truth of Jesus shines through in your writing, in your art and photography and it is so so good. Your family and friends are unbelieveably blessed to have you. I am blessed by being a reader. thankyou, and may God bless you, in this season especially! xxx

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  5. Sara, such a beautifully written post. I love your honesty, rawness and beauty. You are right where you should be. You are moving gently and intentionally and you life will be blessed because of this. I love reading your blog. As much as I would be sad if you posted less I would understand if you needed some time away. I have been away from my blog for a couple of years now. I have been in a dark, sad, lonely place grieving the untimely death of my mother. But God is moving in me again and I feel words are coming to the surface again. Sometimes a break is just what God has for our heart, soul and growth. I will be praying for you as you ask the questions and sit with the mysteries that this life has. Much love to you. You are such an encouragement to me. Jo xx

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    1. By the way I am so pleased to see we are still friends on instagram. Thank you. Who knows maybe one day Rosy Life and Soul House Studio can collaborate. I was just wondering just the other day if you have ever considered sharing other artists studios on your blog like Alisa Burke does? That is how I found you. I was considering 'interviewing' some of my favourite artists and sharing on my blog to introduce some of my readers to artists they may not have come across yet. Let me know what you think. xx Jo

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  6. I had a conversation with a friend of mine this morning (also someone who relies on social media as part of her biz) and we're feeling the pressure too, and we decided we need to spend less time on social media, and more time coming back to what's really important: being ourselves, making our art, not caring so much about what others think.

    Your post actually just inspired me to do something else, I think I'm going to start taking my camera with me more often. Not to share the pictures, but to document my sweet life.

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