Every Day is Beautiful

all you have to do is look

I’ve been finding a rhythm. For my days. My art making. My business. The days are all a little bit different, the ebb and flow of work, the shifting of my attention. I’ve been checking projects off my list and beginning to plan and dream. I’ve finally finished putting together a new class (more on that in a bit) and each day I’m settling more into this new life.

Most mornings I sit with my coffee and journal in the sunroom looking out at the sunrise and watching the birds at the feeders. After breakfast I go up to my studio for a bit of work before taking a walk with the dogs.

Nearly every day at some point — noticing colors in the sky, watching the birds, catching the scent of pine needles or woodsmoke in the air — I find myself saying, what a beautiful day.

The days are beautiful. Sometimes in a dramatic way.

a breathtaking sunrise from a few weeks ago before the trees lost all their leaves

We’ve had many amazing sunrises and sunsets lately, and a little over a week ago, we glimpsed the Northern Lights for the first time ever. But the misty mornings of dreary days this week were beautiful, too and the birds visiting our feeders and peeking in the window always feel like a gift.

this little female downy woodpecker lands on the sunroom door to say hi multiple times a day

The star-filled night sky is no less beautiful than the Aurora.

Every day is beautiful. Yes, sometimes it takes a little more effort to see the beauty, but all it takes for me to see it is to look for it.

I started a new painting this week, inspired by the beautiful remnants of goldenrod I noticed while walking the dogs. After our morning walk, I went out to cut some stems — always the first step of my process when painting from life — and decided to let myself wander and ramble and take some photos along the way. The day was a bit dreary, but it was still beautiful.

Want to come along?

the view at the end of our driveway

bare trunks and branches

communing with an oak

mushrooms on a fallen branch

a flame red wild geranium leaf among the oaks

wild cucumber husks

an abandoned truck and remnants of a fallen tree

a slowly disintegrating wasp nest

does someone live in here?

Thanks for coming along on my ramble. What beauty have you been noticing in your corner of the world?

Taking a slow and mindful walk is one of the activity options from my new class. The class is a 7-day creative retreat designed to help you prioritize and nurture your creativity. On many of the days I give “choose-your-own-adventure” menu of exercises so you can make the retreat truly your own. It’s all about filling your creative well and putting joy at the heart of your creative practice.

All week long I’ve been taking the class, doing each of the exercises. I shared one of them this week in a video:

If you’d like to take my new class on Skillshare, you can find it here (and try Skillshare free for a month). I’ll also be putting it up on my website as a stand-alone class with lifetime access, so stay tuned. And as I mentioned in the video, I have a giveaway planned for next month. Be sure you’re signed up for my Joy Letter to get all the details.

Thank you for being here. Your support and encouragement mean so much to me.