Autumn Leaves - Letting Go

Autumn Sunset at Way Art Yonder Studio

While we wait for "fall weather" in San Diego, there are subtle differences in the seasons here; the way the light starts to drop in the sky, the more brilliant sunsets that come only in the fall and winter time, or it's the budding new growth on the brush, thirsty for the welcome morning dewdrops. You begin to take note of these changes and slip into harvest thoughts. This is the time of the year where my attention is more focused on nesting, purging and taking stock of the year's bounty. You'll also find me more introspective and reflective than usual and steeped in both thinking, creating and planning mode. The year is winding down and for me, it's more about taking stock and reflecting over the lessons offered in the past year. What have I learned? And like a tree, what do I need to let go of and let fall like richly colored leaves that no longer feed my roots? My heart moves between splendor and melancholy. I'll be writing more on my blog and sharing more of this process with you.

Studio News: you may have noticed that Way Art Yonder Studio has a new logo and a rebranded website! I'm also working on a different calendar plug-in that will hopefully make registration information easier for you. Stay tuned for more on that as it gets sorted out.

One of the things I've decided to let go of in 2019 is opening our home up to visitors to stay during workshop weekends. I'll still host the teaching artist onsite but will no longer offer guest accommodation for students. One of my sons is returning to San Diego after a year long deployment and will be moving back home temporarily. Everyone is better served by my attention being focused on my family, on hosting the workshop and related events, versus running a bed and breakfast. Learning to say no is one of the greatest gifts I can give to myself, and with that said, I am happy to provide a list of hotels that are reasonably close to the studio.

Going forward, I'll be creating closed Facebook groups for each 2019 workshop and add the attendees who've registered. This will allow all of you a chance to network, share and connect for rideshares, hotel or Air BnB shares, etc. Look for the invites either through Facebook or sent to the email address used to register for the workshop. I'll also create a separate group email for each workshop, in case any of you are inactive on Facebook.