Listening to your heartbeat

Feeling into what it wants plus what's currently keeping me inspired.

Recently I switched to a new doctor. I had been traveling out of my town for medical care previously, causing me to miss appointments. I met Dr. Green (not her actual name) for the first time. Upon checking my vital signs, she noted that my pulse was high (unusual for me). She asked if I had any heart issues, to which I answered no. The rest of the appointment continued in a typical way. She collected my medical history and asked me all the pertinent questions. At the end of the appointment, she took my vital signs again and this time my pulse was normal. “Seems you have a little white coat syndrome”, she says, “are you anxious?” . . . I wasn’t. I mean I didn’t feel anxious at the time.

I thought about this after leaving the appointment. Was I not aware of my own body? How many times did my heart pound at a hasty pace saying empathically saying “YES I LOVE THIS!” or “NO DANGER, DANGER!” or even “I”M A LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE". How many times did it beat rapidly to which my brain denied its requests? Well, no more. I promised myself after that day to continually check in with myself. I will strengthen the connection between my heart and mind. I will be my own little mindfulness guru.

If you’ve gotten to know me through Instagram, you are familiar with me sharing my painting process through Reels (short form video). And I love this form of sharing. I’m not much of a front facing camera girl, but I love to show the process of my artistic work and love to see others work as well. For months I have wanted to share more of the work I love to create. I’ve wanted to share more of my writing and other behind the scenes processes. I did share some poems and blog posts here and there. But mostly, I hesitated. My heart wanted to pivot in a new direction, but I wasn’t listening.

“No one likes long form content anymore”, I would think to myself. But actually, I do. I love getting to know the work of other creatives in a more intimate way. I fully enjoy discovering what makes others tick and how their work shows more about their perspective on the world. These are the things that inspire me. And if you are here with me reading this, I’m pretty sure you do too. And even though I still enjoy Instagram, there are times when it becomes a little noisy and distracting.

So here I am... listening to the things my heart wants and sharing more of the things that make me feel alive.

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What’s Inspiring me today...

Lately I’ve been loving my sketchbook. I have a few (I’m a bit of a stationary collector), but I’ve been fully enjoying my little talens art creation sketchbook.

It’s small and completely able to fit in my purse. I love to take it when I’m traveling and even on long car rides. Here are a few reasons why I love my sketchbook practice.

• It’s a low-stakes environment to experiment with new techniques, styles and media. I love embracing the freedom to take risks and explore uncharted territory without fear of failure. I often layer mediums in different ways and work with colors I usually avoid.

• Consistent sketching helps you develop and refine your observational skills, allowing you to better understand and capture the world around you. This can lead to a deeper appreciation of your surroundings and a newfound ability to translate what you see onto the page. Make a rough sketch of what you see. Capture the basic shapes. This is not the time to get technical. You can always take a photo of your environment and include the more details bits later. For now, it's about opening that channel between your eyes and hands.

• Your sketchbook can serve as a visual diary, capturing your thoughts, ideas and inspirations along your artistic journey. This valuable resource will allow you to look back and see your progress and growth over time, providing inspiration and motivation for the future.

Thank You for reading Mending Inspiration.