Satisfied

Putting it out there
Sharing my soul
Fear and trembling
What will they think?

Is it too weird?
Does it even make sense?
Will someone be offended?
Does any of this even matter?

Years of creation
Learning the skills
Showing up consistently.
Following through

Listening to a call
That mostly makes no sense
Until suddenly it does.
Faith in the process
Creation requires that.

Creators are a conduit,
Nothing more.
Mind and heart open to receive
A challenge for the ego

Let the fear and uncertainty
Wash over you and then let it go.
Build it, Make it, Share it
The gods are satisfied
Time to get back to work.

Cheryl McDonald, 2023©

If you would like to listen to me read this poem click below.

It has been a very big week for me and yesterday was world poetry day, and apparently I am now a poet as well as an artist! So Satisfied is my poem for today.

Sunday was the opening reception for my first solo art exhibit in about 10 years and it was a very big deal. I was offered the space to create an exhibit in a very large gallery space at Maturango museum in Ridgecrest, CA

I have been a closet surrealist since I came back to Ridgecrest, which is my home town. Surrealism is harder to find places to exhibit, more than most genres anyway. And Ridgecrest being a smallish city in a very conservative part of California is not a place you would expect to find an interest in this type of imagery. However, I have had to change my view on that! My work is being well received and I am very pleased.

This exhibit is called Mystic Dreams of Transformation which is a mix of pencil paintings and accompanying poetry. And it spans several years of work. These drawings take months to create and I often have no idea what the point is till they are finished. That is when the poetry gets written. You who have been reading my blog have seen most of the work over the last many months as I have been sharing these and creating the poems weekly. I then created a book of art and poetry to commemorate the exhibit.

Sundays opening was well attended and I was given the opportunity to speak and talk about the art and field questions. I can talk about art for hours, so this was fun for me to do. Once my talk was over the books started selling and I did some book signing and spent some time talking with viewers who really felt touched by my work. It is so rewarding to know that others connect with my art! It was meaningful and personal and I was very touched.

So the show is up till the end of May and I am thinking about doing another event in May sharing poetry and art in a workshop kind of event. Still coming up with the concept, but just giving others a chance to play in a creative way with words and art is where I think this is going. The Muse will guide it I am sure.

So as the last line of the poem says- It’s time to get back to work! I have more creating to do!

Have a Happy Day,

Cheryl