Chapter 2 post 5 ▫️ Home is where your art is (Part 1)

How are you all doing? We have just ended the second week of our shelter in place order here in Sonoma County. It hasn’t been an easy period, and our adaptability and resilience, now tested, faces another month (at least) of being home and, hopefully, staying healthy and safe.

This new era brings each of us varying challenges. For example, I’m a certified introvert who needs alone time each day to recharge my inner batteries, but I admit that fifteen days of sheltering has left me feeling much like my mascot Mercutio. Never before have I been so happy to see human beings that I yell “hello!” at them as we pass each other (on opposite sides of the street) during my daily walk. It’s not my style at all but here we are.

Isolation is nothing new for those of us who live in small towns. When we lived on the Mendocino coast, isolation was a daily reality. We were only four miles from town, but it was such a tight-knit, ingrained community that I didn’t ever find my place in it. To stay sane, I went for hikes and adventures as often as I could, and I started taking pictures. I soon found that photography was an outlet for all my unexpressed feelings of discontent, uncertainty, and social detachment. Instead of mourning my solitude, photography allowed me to embrace it, to savor it, to see it as an opportunity to bond with nature as I hadn’t done since childhood. And as I bonded with the outside world, my inner world took on greater depth. I was able to grow, to break through walls I had believed were unmovable. While I felt out of my element socially for those four years, I was able to call my favorite beaches and hiking trails and other haunts my home.

Of course, the type of isolation we face now is much different: there really isn’t anywhere to go. Our escape routes to the mental and emotional breaks we need from being alone are limited—but they still exist. Once again, I am turning to art to make me feel more at home, and this time, I am writing.

I haven’t had this blog very long, but I’ve loved writing about as long as I’ve been able to write. It’s only been in the past few years that I’ve taken it seriously again though. I don’t have any set long-term goals; for now, I’m enjoying writing for the sake of writing. Happily, an opportunity presented itself recently that I couldn’t pass up: a friend of mine who is a writing coach is hosting a free month-long group coaching program for writers. (You can find her on Instagram at intuitivewritingcoach.) It’s only been three days, but so far it’s made me think not only about what I want to put into my writing, but also what I hope to get out of it. For the next month, while I’m a part of this group, I’ll be blogging less about the meaning of home and more about art—the art of writing, how art affects us inside and out, and how art contributes to the feeling of home.

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In an effort to feel more connected, I’ve been checking in on Instagram more often. I’ve seen my friends doing so many creative things, and they never fail to surprise and delight and inspire me. To all of you readers out there, I beg you: please keep those creative juices flowing! Every time I see you cooking outside of your comfort zone or dancing in your kitchen or finding unusual places to paint landscapes, you make me smile. You bring me joy. You get me to ask myself, “what could I do?” You make me feel a little more at home. 

Whether I’ve seen you on Instagram or not, feel free to leave a comment below and let us all know what you’re doing to preserve your emotional health and feed your soul during this time!