The Joy Project

Here is the truth:

The waters of my soul have been anything but smooth lately.  Swift currents have kicked up and left me speechless, gritty waves have threatened the light of hope I hold tight against my sternum.  There is no one tidy answer, no magic pill, just a determined plunking of one muddied boot after the other.  There have been days filled with so much light and goodness that I've had to shade my eyes, but also days where the fog has rolled in and I've wandered in silence through the river beds.

But if I can tell you one thing about me it is this:

I am a fighter.

My name, my birth name, is Kelly Nichole which very directly translates to Victorious Warrior.

And there is something deep within my heart that is shifting, some hidden mortar crumbling, some tectonic plate of soul that is stretching and ripping as it moves in exactly the way it was meant to move.

It's uncomfortable to say the least.  But I know that somewhere, some hold on my life is being wrenched free and that when I emerge on the other side a brightness will spill from my chest the likes of which I've never seen.

So until then, I'm finding all the small joys I can gather.  Purposefully acknowledging the slightest things that move the corners of my mouth, marking them as GOOD, as a GIFT and holding on to them for dear hope. 

And here is where I'd love for you to join me.

I've just begun a new Flickr group.

It's called The Joy Project.

The idea is simple: take a photo, it can be a self-portrait (in the broadest sense), a snippet of your home, a snap of your daily view, WHATEVER you feel a sense of joy in for that day, for that moment.  Upload it to the group with a short caption of one thing that you have taken joy in that day.  And that's it!  Safe, easy, no huge commitments to months or years, just a gentle sharing and fostering of like-minded community.
Would you like to join me?
Pop on over to the group, The Joy Project, right HERE.

And while we're on the subject of joy, I need to express just how much the rhythmic thrumping of hammers and soft glow of metal has bouyed my heart lately.  I can't stay out of the studio!

My sketchbook is stuffed with ideas and my bench is covered with works in progress.  So much so that I think there may be a very official shop update in the works shortly...
But for now a little sneak peek:

Ten Thousand Small Histories No 2
Sterling Silver and Northern California Beach Pottery 
To learn about the inspiration behind this piece, click here
(Can I tell you one thing about these bits of perfectly sea-weathered pottery?  I've carried these two  slices with me for years now, in a tiny mason jar, pulling them out every once in a while to admire and roll about in the palm of my hand.  The off-white piece features a beautiful bit of illustration - I believe it was a branch at one time, but now is a lesson in the perfection of abstraction.  Sigh.  I even remember the squeal I let out when I found it.)
(Lastly, I'm planning a shop update for next Monday, December 5th - whoot! - however if this necklace speaks to you before then, it is absolutely RESERVABLE!  Just drop me an Etsy convo HERE.  Reserved!)

A Short List

I spent a great deal of time driving this last week; well, to be honest, BC spent a great deal of time driving while I sat in the front seat and did the "mom smacking hand thing" behind me whenever the pups got too rowdy in the back.  We trekked down the coast and into the central valley to spend our time with BC's family, playing Apples to Apples, talking about Chinese skin analysis, and running the dogs in the back forty.  The weather was temperamental but the wood stove cranked and we fell into home.

All that to say, Thanksgiving may have passed in a gentle flurry of homemade cranberry sauce and bread pudding, but I still have gratitude to give.

So today, as I watch the clouds roll in and the furnace grunts and lurches, I am thankful:

for two fully functioning hands

for espresso

for living with the redwoods

for the love of the best man I know

for whiskers that tickle my face in the morning

for copious houseplants

for a clear mammagram (just got the most recent results last week!!!)
for beasts who make me laugh day in and out
for T, C, J, K, A, M, you know who you are
for a studio
for families who honestly love each other
for letters in the mail
for sheepskin boots
for communities across the globe who inspire and encourage me
for pomegranates
and for you.
SO much for you my friends.
I am grateful.

On Wings

I don't think I will ever tire of metaphors of flight.
Of spreading wings a little wider ever day.
Of finding space in our hearts for the love of others, to open up and realize our hearts are huge.
Of finding courage to soar into territories new to us, regardless of how far they seem or intimidating they may be.
Of feeling currents brush past our skin as the freshness of each day greets our lungs.

Last week I sat in my studio with a delicately pressed feather and one of the last turquoise cabochons from the buried treasure stash.  I thought about flight, just how far I've come, just how far I have yet to go.  How rich the story of my life could be.  And as I thought, I wrote it out in silver.  And found this ring on the other side.

She feels so good on.
{and she's in the shop now}

Morning Breaks

In the pale gray light of a brisk Autumn morning, all before the tea kettle whistled.

Guilty Parties

This used to be more than just a rabbit head.

In fact, for 11 months, this was a full and floppy thing, gummed up for certain, but loved well.  Now, like one of Henry's wives, this head has been neatly separated from it's body and I could place money on which set of puppy teeth is at fault.

I'll give you a hint:
"Milk teeth"

Signing off from the land of more-toys-needed.