Meet Tree, named and painted by my 18 year daughter. I’m celebrating this painting on so many levels. Let me tell you why.
It’s 15 days into Covid 19 and my daughter (who’s quite the socializer) is starting to climb the walls, desperately looking for new things to do. We’ve been doing her online workouts😥 for over a week, so you can imagine my physical relief when she asked if we could paint. I won’t lie, at first I cringed. To lug all that stuff upstairs and set up for one painting, felt pointless. However, with a “suck it up Pam” speech to myself, I did the lugging and setting up and together we began to create.
The psychology was fascinating to witness. Trying to focus, create and not judge was difficult. However, we both managed to find our way, supporting each others approach to art during such uncertainty.
I can’t even imagine what’s going on in that beautiful mind of hers. In her last year of high school, told there’s no prom, maybe no grad, no certainty about university and no structure formed by an institution larger than the one she must now create. It is a difficult story to swallow. Although there are bigger things going on in the world as I write this, I do believe I can best support her by honouring her frustrations. The moments of angry, betrayal and sadness need validation so they aren’t left to seep into her biology. As a mom, my job is to help lighten not deny an emotion wanting some air time.
We all have emotions and feelings that need space and time to breathe. We’ve been conditioned to think this expression is a sign of weakness. When we can walk mindfully through our sadness, our anger and our pain we, eliminate the burden and lighten the soul — creating forward thinking.
I guess as a mom, I felt pretty special to being sharing this moment with my youngest and even more special that she consented to me sharing her work with you.
Take care of each other and be creative with those you love.
Namaste,
Pam