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This series has become an impetus for a conversation. At first, I thought it was about the conversations it would help create with others, especially the loved ones that have known me the longest. And while it is creating such tremendous dialogues and conversations and connecting points with my family - the real magic I’m finding are the conversations this work is allowing me to have with myself. Where did it begin? I set out to create the first piece in this series - at the time not realizing it would become a series and become the approach I’d seek to mimic in future works - following a prompt I received from my therapist. She gently inquired - have you ever thought about painting about these topics? At first I resisted the idea. While I do paint about my personal experiences, I’ve never quite taken on painting about my personal relationships. To date, I’ve preferred topics I felt more universal and relatable. This initially felt, well, too personal. But, inspired by a challenge, and the idea of beginning something new, something unknown, something I was uncertain of how to approach, I started brainstorming. How do I apply the same level of care and introspection as I would through my existing tools of self-reflection (e.g. stream of consciousness writing, yoga, talk therapy) but now go deeper somehow while simultaneously transforming and translating these thoughts into a visual format through artistic mediums? The approach taken in the first painting of this series, was to bring into sharp focus the topic I wanted to further explore. I committed to thinking only about that single topic while I worked. As my mind would undoubtedly wander, I would nudge it back to the intention. I sat in this space, I worked in this space for hours at a time. I realized I’ve never before spent so much time consecutively, consistently thinking about a single topic. I started to see how much ground I could cover if only I could steadfastly pay attention. Can I question. Can I observe. Can I listen. Can I hear me now? Each piece in this series has been created in this same way. Each a complete meditation and subsequent expression on a particular relationship - a life-giving figure and force so central, so pivotal to my being. What has transpired over the past few months has become a brand new tool in my toolkit - a new exercise for me to explore the things that sit in my head or my heart or my body, that I want to give attention, examine, shift as needed, lift as needed, or release as needed. More tools towards living an examined life and celebrating the effort’s outcomes. Lifting the mindsets and approaches I choose to actively create and curate, while relying less on the ones I passively allow power. Now if something deserves more exploration, I can paint. Or I can garden. Or I can clean. Or I can do anything where I allow my body to slowly work and my mind to stay still enough to listen. To gently bring my attention back to the intended topic, and get comfortably uncomfortable while I sit with and allow it to be. To see what sings when I make space for the quiet. For the answers already within, with roots thriving, to push their way to the sunshine. I can hear me now.
The “Can I Hear Me Now?” series will release
March 9th at 10AM CST on mioneplant.com
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