These days I feel like I am in a battle to re-learn how to BE and to un-learn the lean towards DOING. I remember a time where being an artist (as in making or doing art) was so natural to me. Painting, writing these fantastical stories because an idea struck me, making birthday cards for friends, diving into an essay because an idea wouldn’t leave my mind.

Then I became a do-er. By necessity, I did the things I needed to do to sustain my livelihood and my artist self drifted further and further away. I can still make art and write stories and essays. It’s a skill that I possess, but it often feels like something I’m doing. Like I have to slice myself up into various personalities who perform different acts at different points of the day and week.

My mission is to return to a sense of being. Where the art is drawing me forward. Where I’m creating art, not just because I know it’s what I need for mental and spiritual equilibrium, but because I’m drawn to it and it’s a natural and self-sustaining part of my day, my being. Where I’m writing, not just because it’s fulfilling my vision of who I am, but because an idea has me so intrigued that I have no choice but to explore it.

I often wonder if I’m longing for a way of embodying myself that can never return. When I was swimming in artmaking and writing, I was not the person I am now. But I am constantly wondering: Can I be my current self and get swept away in arts’ currents? It is my mission to get back to a place where I am living in the fullness of art making. And if you are a creative who revels in their art practice, I wish the same for you.

Onward!

—K.