Attachment or Change?

How difficult is it to distinguish who you are in private from who you are in the world?  When your identity has been cast with the label of a business or company name…From an art gallery you have spent the last sixteen years growing and nurturing into a full bloom beauty…

I suppose I have had a bit of turmoil deciding when was the appropriate time to retire from our gallery, Lavender Moon Gallery.  My husband and I created this beautiful oasis on this beautiful oasis of an island, Hawaii, and have spent the last sixteen years of our lives giving it everything we had to help other artists flourish and to join people with the right art that matched their life styles.

Creating Lavender Moon Gallery has been more than fulfilling; it has been an expansive and educational experience for us both, I think.  And for our small island community and for the vast global community that find us against all odds, we have been there to serve and bring joy, friendship, and above all, ART into their lives.

Our plates have been not only full, they have been over-flowing for the past couple of years.  So much so that we have toyed with the idea of “retirement” from the day to day workings of owning, operating, and overseeing the daily business of an art gallery, for at least that long.  But thinking about it or talking about it, is a far cry from actually taking action and closing the doors.

After much heartfelt thought and debate, pros and cons, and other possibilities for the gallery, we decided that NOW was the right time for us both to bid adieu to our gallery “home” once and for all.

What that means is that we will only be much more involved in creating more art, both of us, and writing much, much more.  Time to spend thinking about what I really want to share with the world and being able to connect with people from all over the world right from the comfort of my home studio…how wonderful will that be.  In short, I decided it was best for me to learn how to work “smarter” not “harder”.

My ART will continue to be available on my website, however, now with more time on my hands, I will be able to get the word out more effectively.  My logo and my artist statement is the same thing and is quite simple:

“Living an ART inspired life!”

Simple, but in reality, that’s a mouthful.  I am currently in the throes of re-designing my website with the expert help of Technology Aloha, TechnologyAloha.com.  I will announce with as many promos and exciting bonuses the re-launching of my site.

Beyond that, I know that the space that opens when you remove what is no longer relevant in your life, will be filled with something else, something that is immediately more vital for your personal growth.

I’m painting much more than I have in the last few months, taking it to a whole new level, and writing more too.  It’s as though my inner creative self knew that it was time to move on, in fact, way overdue.

It’s said that nature abhors a vacuum…and I do believe in that theory.  My husband’s art is in high demand at this time and we are grateful that his original work is being curated and sold by Viewpoints Gallery in Maui.

My work will be traveling off island in the future, and when that becomes definite, it will be announced.

The greater challenge, for me personally, because I am such a people person, will be my daily opportunity to meet and get to know people from all over the world.  I’ve been blessed to have met and made lifelong friends with many creative folks, all due to opening up our gallery each day.

Now there will be an adjustment period for me to connect with folks in a different way and I’m ok with that.  I hope you guys are too.

To all my collectors, fans, friends, acquaintances, buddies and pals, I am not far away.  I will most likely begin to post much more again on my blogs as I’ve been overwhelmed and unable to blog as much as I’d like to.  But that will change in the future, be assured.  Oh yes, and time to travel…that is way over due.

As soon as I finish up with this post, I will be working on my traditional New Year’s poem.  I’ve been writing one every eve for the past few years.  It will be up hopefully on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day…

Always with much love, gratitude, and aloha in my heart for each and every one of you.  I hope you can feel the deep sense of Mahalo for your continued encouragement and support of my works.  Best wishes for the happiest, healthiest, and most abundant 2017 for us all.

Hau ‘oli Makahiki Hou, Happy New Year to all!