Holding Space

A few weeks ago I read this article about what it means to hold space for others. I was dealing with a personal situation when Iwas painting this where I was walking one of those emotionally charged tightropes and this article really gave me something to hold on to and to contemplate. I wanted to share it, in case anyone else may happen to need to read how to hold space for others.

I will be sending a few paintings from my ongoing bowls and vessels series at the end of this month to Gather, in Evanston, IL. This painting is new that I finished a few weeks ago. My bowl paintings are very different from my usual mixed media paintings. My bowls symbolize meditations on the flow of energy that we bring into our daily lives and then out into the world. What do we fill our bowls with? What is it that we nourish our bodies and spirits with? How do we empty our bowls in a constructive way? Life is about giving and receiving. What do we bring into our lives? What do we want to give back? These are just a few of things I think about when I paint my bowls.

Heather Plett’s follow up article on how to hold space for yourself is really good too. I think that especially in this day and age with the clamor of social media and jarring voices, these are good things to think about. It’s too easy to get caught up and forget to take moments to breathe in and practice mindfulness, kindness, and compassion.

Anytime we can listen to true self and give it the care it requires, we do so not only for ourselves but for the many others whose lives we touch. – Parker Palmer, Let your Life Speak