2023 was really hard for me. This past fall/winter, after all the life changes and various impediments to my creativity, seasonal depression and burn out hit me pretty hard. I struggled to create. I practically forced myself to paint this series out of desperation to keep my head and heart above water. It is smaller than typical because that's all I could take on, and I feel proud to have honored my limits. Little did I know, however, that the sizes would also help me drive home an important point about mental health:

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To me, this series is about gratitude for the power of attention to small things. When you're going through it, it's easy to only notice that bad, and what's going wrong. But, if you actively pay attention to the gratitudes and joys that come along, however small they may be, it's possible to hardwire your brain to get back to a healthier place. In other words, they may be small, but added up, they create big change. Each piece honors a small thing that helped (helps) rewire my head. The Lights during my Lows.