"The 19th-century whale hunt was a brutal business, awash with blubber, blood, and the cruel destruction of life. But between the frantic calls of “there she blows!”, there was plenty of time for creation too..."
Today after a verrrrrry long hiatus, I taught a Decoupage Class! This one, of course, thanks to COVID-19, was virtual. That's right. Zoom Decoupage Class! Who would have ever thought.....
Something about it made me take a step back and realize a few things:
1- DECOUPAGE IS AWESOME!! We all already knew this, of course, but I needed a reminder of just how much I love the whole thing- the process, the creativity, the 'craftiness' of it, and of course- the final product.
2- Human connection is precious and vital and soothing and invigorating. None of us (in my humble opinion) have had enough of it in the last 11 months. ELEVEN MONTHS! Maybe, finally, we can see there is a light at the end of this tunnel....Maybe?! No matter. We all are forever changed.
3-Family/Work/Life balance is hard. It's hard on a good day and very nearly impossible during a pandemic. I am blessed. I am one of the fortunate ones who has not been directly affected by the disease (fingers crossed.....end of tunnel, can you hurry it up?!), I have a job that I absolutely love, my kids are (mostly) self sufficient, I have a solid, safe roof over my head, my fridge is full (well...if I go grocery shopping it will be), etc. But it's still hard!!
Look at something I saw and reposted yesterday on Insta:
Mind. Blown. RIGHT?! Sometimes just stop. Stop and tell yourself it's OK to say you don't have the time or energy to take something more on right now. It's OK to take a break and indulge your creativity and passion just for fun. Just for you. Even in, and perhaps ESPECIALLY in, a pandemic.
Which brings me to the crazy cool illustration up there from a Nantucket Whaler's Journal circa 1843. The fascinating article that goes along with these images is definitely worth the quick read.
In her article, the author Jessica Boyall says : "The 19th-century whale hunt was a brutal business, awash with blubber, blood, and the cruel destruction of life. But between the frantic calls of “there she blows!”, there was plenty of time for creation too..."
Well, dear reader, guess what. Was Ms. Boyall perhaps talking about the COVID-19-pandemic-quarantine situation when she mentioned 'a brutal business awash with blubber, blood, and the destruction of life'? OK, she probably was not, but man! I feel like there's been blubber, blood, and cruel destruction of life a-plenty in our country recently. I won't elaborate and you of course may make your own interpretations, but what I really like is what she says AFTER that: "between the frantic calls of “there she blows!”, there was plenty of time for creation too..."
So I could not be happier that I took the time to create today. I met some lovely people, shared about something I love, and felt very human, very connected again. I wish that for all of us in the coming months. That we can shake off some of the isolation, the hard work, the blubber (heheh) and remember to find time to create-or whatever makes you feel good and whole again.
Stay tuned for more Zoom classes coming up and please do let me know if you'd like to get one together for yourself and a few pals. I promise it will be fun!
Happy February, all.
~Amy
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