navylane :: musings

I am back home after a six-day excursion to Washington for Teesha and Tracy Moore’s annual Artfest event.

Misty and I left a day early so we could spend some time in Seattle. We were so blessed to have the ever so lovely Katie Kendrick meet us in Seattle and spend some time with us. She is the most kind soul I think I have ever met, and I feel like I have known her for years. After she picked us up from the airport on Tuesday, we stocked up on art supplies at Daniel Smith and searched for treasures at Goodwill. Then we checked in at the uber cool Hotel Max before leaving for a delectable dinner at the Snappy Dragon with Bernie Berlin and friends. On Wednesday morning, Misty, Katie and I walked about Seattle drinking coffee, taking pictures and browsing the market. After a bittersweet goodbye to Katie, we embarked on our journey towards Fort Worden for our first Artfest.

It was a messy, emotional week for me. I was energized by my new surroundings, overwhelmed by the mass of people I met, smitten by the serenity and beauty of the beach, fatigued by the long stretches of creative time I had each day, guilty over the fact that I had sick little ones at home who terribly missed me. I had heard people say the first time at Artfest could be ovewhelming, but I was in no way prepared for just how intense and overpowering it felt to me.

It is such an interesting dynamic to have so many different personalities and different types of people together, yet all having art as the same common demominator among them. So cool to meet in person many of the people I know only by name online. Maija Lepore has such a positive energy about her; I just can’t help but smile when I’m around her. Celine Navarro and Stacie Rife are so fun and easygoing, and we had quite a few laughs together. Nina Bagley is an amazing woman with such a good heart. LK Ludwig, so talented and beautiful; I bought a gorgeous pair of earrings from her on vendor night. Pam Garrison and Amy Hanna are an adorable pair of friends with such sweet, genuine smiles! And a handful of other wonderful people that I cannot think of right at this moment because my head is still spinning a bit — such a treat to meet you all! I regret that I didn’t get a chance to meet Lelainia Lloyd or have a chance to sit and talk with Liz Elayne — I do wish our paths would have crossed before we had left!

I enjoyed each one of my classes: Journaling the Journey with Anahata Katkin; Lost and Found with Lisa Engelbrecht; and The Artful Wall with Traci Bautista. So inspiring and motivating! I’ll post photos of my projects soon…

Now, it’s back to the daily grind. Two sick children and a sick husband. A house that looks strangely no different than when I left, almost as if life as I know it had stopped and waited for me to return. Fighting exhausation, dirty laundry, and pumping myself up with lots of Airborne and tea in hope that I can avoid all these germs getting the best of me. Lots of snuggles from my little ones. A sense of peace that I am home and that I now know how very much I am needed and appreciated as a mother. Eager to get back into creative mode and implement some new ideas and techniques. Torn between indulging in the comforts of home and the love of my family, and wanting to go back and revel in the creative energy of Artfest once again.

P.S. I was terrible, as usual, at taking photos during my time at Artfest, so if you have any to share I would be ever so grateful if you could email them to me!