It's Love Month! <3
about as "on-brand" as the calendar gets for me (p.s. I love you!)
Valentine’s Day is TODAY…I’m sure you know. That’s all anyone’s talking about, right? Right? :(
If you’re anything like me, you might have seen lots of videos, tutorials, and carousel posts full of these Puzzle Purse Valentine cards. They’re beautiful! And I, a person who loves to write (and receive) notes & especially love notes… got it in my mind to make a batch of them for some folks I love and/or am trying to love... But alas. COVID came in and took me tf OUT a week ago. My Valentine-making plan went out the window and I went into my room to be sick & miserable instead of cute & crafty as I’d hoped.
Gosh.
Anyway, I Love Valentine’s Day, and I hope you’ve been able to spend today loving yourself and loving the sweeties in your life. :) I think we could all use a lot more love in our lives, in all its forms, as we endure each new scare & calamity these days throw at us. Love is an inexhaustible, powerful resource we all have within us and it grows stronger and more overwhelming when we share it with each other. So, let’s do that. Ok?
Coming Up:
Thanks to Kat (my wonderful friend and inspiring artist), I’ll be at Mississippi State next weekend as a visiting artist! Looking forward to studio visits, teaching a workshop, and maybe talking a bit. We’ll see. I’ll let you know.
The Atlanta Free Community Workshop in March will be a Mending Clinic, in collaboration with Lisa M. hosted at TopstitchATL. Come out and get those old pants you love fixed up! March 29th, 2-5pm.
I’m teaching a workshop at MODA on April 26th, see you there? Click the link. Sign up! Come take a walk with me. This is one workshop of a series (taught by three other artists) paired with the current exhibition, Threads of Change: Design & Data. It’s exciting. :)
I’ll be teaching a collaborative zine-making workshop for the teens of my local PFLAG chapter soon! I’m really excited about this y’all. :) If you happen to be in Rome, GA for PRIDE this June, you’ll be able to get a copy & read the zine these awesome teens will be creating together.
That’s all I can think of for now in the “coming up” category.
CURRENTLY:
Gotta say, I surprised myself with that list of things “coming up”. I thought it would be shorter I guess. In my mind & body, I’m still feeling low-key. Still wanting to stay home, cozy up indoors, spend time reading after a long day at work (because ya girl is working full-time now, and while I am grateful for that if you know of a well-paid, part-time job I could stay home and do, OR if you or someone you know is interested in sponsoring my life…let me know. I’ll send the details asap.). Still getting back into the groove of a consistent gym routine. Still enjoying the crisp, chilly air in the mornings & evenings.
But I’ve also started moving on some things. Slowly getting my space decluttered, aired out, & organized in a way that incentivizes me to work. Slowly figuring out the next best steps to take. Slowly venturing outside and into new conversations and experiences. Slowly letting myself just… be. Because being has felt like a lot to do lately.
That being said, I haven’t been making much work lately and I think the me around this time last year would freak out about that (quietly). But this me understands that this is where I am right now, and that’s ok. :)
I think that’s all I have for today. For this letter. It’s a short letter, a few updates, a little love. I think that’s all it needed to be. Until next time, keep loving and sharing your love with the people around you. Happy Friday. Venus Day. Valentine’s Day.
-Amanda
p.s. I love you