Going through things you never thought you’d go through,
Will only take you places you’d never thought you’d get to.
—Morgan-Harper Nichols
I Have to Phi Phi This is a color study of one of my collector’s trips to a strange new place, Phi Phi Islands in Thailand (pronounced Pee Pee). We can’t travel now but we are going to new and uncharted waters. Perhaps that is the silver lining. Can you see it?
In this strange new world we are being called upon to try things in ways different than we are used to. Many of us are working from home for the first time ever. Many of us are taking on roles unfamiliar to us like school teacher, house cleaner, grocery delivery sterilizer, etc.
I’m learning how to do new things like virtual events, live social media posts and also figuring out fun ways to connect safely in person. Here are a few ideas I have come up with for ways you can connect together while safely socially distancing:
Invite friends to sit outside on your patio or porch.
Entertain in your backyard or on your driveway.
Invite friends to bring their own dinner and drinks and join you in a park or on your deck.
Meet and go for walks in beautiful quiet neighborhoods.
Project a movie on your garage or on a sheet on a line and create a “drive in theater.”
Play lawn games like croquet or cornhole.
Find a quiet beach and swim in the ocean.
Go to a garden nursery. Get there early to avoid the crowds.
Do yoga or exercise outside.
Light sparklers in your yard at night. (if its legal!)
Play your guitar for your friends.
Get together with other artists and paint plein air (outside).
There is endless inspiration in my backyard. This little oil pastel, drawn in my garden, now lives in one of my collector’s lovely little home in West Seattle. Having artist friends come over to create in my backyard is a wonderful way for me to social distance.
When we go outside our comfort zone we grow. I’ve been forced to reinvent myself as an artist and musician. I used to do a few in person events annually where I perform and show new work, usually to a packed house. Since I can't do that now I’ve come up with two solutions:
I’m hosting a super intimate, in-person live events, in my backyard called the Private Quarantini Garden pARTy. You can read about the details and sign up, in my previous blog here.
Also for the first time I will be hosting a live virtual event on Zoom where I will serenade you a bit and show you some of my new artwork. Please join me and get a little taste of what my in person events are like. It's going to be super fun. I’m nervous about this but happy that no one can throw tomatoes at me through the computer! Make sure you are on my mailing list to receive the zoom link.
Neato Mojito is one of several prints you could bring home when you attend a Private Quarantini Garden pARTy.
I hope you are finding new and exciting things that you never would have realized you enjoy. We have lost a lot of our usual routines but the new ones can make our lives richer in ways we never imagined. When this is all over you will have loads of new stuff to add to your routine and hopefully it will be your silver lining.
Lots of love and blessings,
Leslie