Laying yourself bare.

#forestbathing

Inspired by the palate.

This painting struck me this morning. Maybe because it’s spring. Maybe because I am about to take a hike with my pup. Maybe because it makes me think how I can use art with teachers and students to inspire writing. Maybe because it expresses raw emotion and vulnerability. It’s really all of these.

The beauty and wonder – to me – of visual art, is that it is open to so many interpretations and analysis. The latter was more limited as an art history student in my undergrad, the former allows for more freedom of thought. I can imagine art historians and scholars researching van Gogh’s letters and missives that reveal his state of mind towards the end of his life – exposing everything, and realizing life or his own fractured mind has nothing more to give. I can see this, but I also reflect on the beauty of this painting – exposure and vulnerability. Here I am. This is me.

Through writing publically, I am learning to share bits and pieces of myself that were formerly reserved for a journal or for private conversations. The sense of freedom, growth, and humanness I have gained in sharing my thoughts has truly changed my life perspective.