Procrastination. I know it all too well. How about you?
My intentions are always good, but I know it all too well. I'm sure some of you can relate. I've had a wonderful year of travel and a productive year creating new pieces inspired by said travel. As I sit and strike these little square keys, I'd like to share some of my adventures with you.
In early January, my husband and I boarded the National Geographic Explorer for a trip across the Drake Passage and into the frozen heart of Antarctica. My friend said, “You come for the animals but stay for the ice, and in my experience, this held true. But the scale, shape and color of the ice left an indelible impression, a shade of blue I’ve only dreamt about. Sometimes we can take travel for granted, but that was impossible on this trip. Antarctica is overwhelmingly unique.
Next up Buenos Aires, a big highlight for me was Tango. Watching a neighborhood performance continue on in semi-darkness after a blown fuse was unable to be repaired, was mesmerizing. Paired bodies, toes lifted, arms flared, moving in and out of light and shadow…. just beautiful The show must go on and it did! Tango is serious business in BA.
In early spring, we ventured to Europe, London was museum overload as usual, so I focused on the shows that would fuel my jewelry practice. The rocks and minerals of the Museum of Natural History, then Victoria and Albert Museum’s one thousand year historical journey of human adornment. These collections make me feel like I haven’t even begun to understand the full potential of my creative endeavors, inspiring to no end!
Continuing on to Barcelona, Menorca, Eihnoven, Amsterdam, a month later in Jamaica were each incredibly special in their own way; but the big highlight was seeing one of my all-time favorite Dutch painters hometown, his birth house and art center, his name….. Hieronymus Bosch.
And last month, the trip of a lifetime, seventeen days in Japan. I had a feeling that I would fall in love with Japan, and I did. Within days, I asked my husband, “Do you think it would be possible for us to live here three to four months per year.” Tokyo is unlike anything I’ve ever seen, on a scale unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.I reconnected with colleagues from my Canon days, In Kyoto attended a Maiko ceremony, observed geishas as they made their way through backstreets (a visual living dream), in Nagiita, we spent time with artisans making a range of products from paper to handmade knives.
I am now the same age my mother was when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. This is a very sobering thought for me. I do not take these adventures for granted. My mother was not a traveler, but would light up when we sat together after one of my trips. “Tell me everything,” she would say. And that is why I said yes to every opportunity this year.
As we near the end of 2024, I wish for you a happy, healthy, awe inspiring holiday season, doing what you love, with people who you care about and finding joy in every moment, even when life throws you curve balls. We just passed another Thanksgiving, and I have a lot to be thankful for, including your support and friendship. I can’t do what I do without you. Thank you. Sayonara,adios, au revoir…. Till we meet again.
