Last week was Open Studios. I look forward to this weekend all year, but this time I almost canceled. A difficult family situation came up a couple days beforehand and I didn’t know if I had it in me to coordinate all the childcare required, to clean the studio, buy the wine and pretzels, print more business cards and hang the pieces. In the midst of crisis, I wondered if opening my studio was the piece I should let go. In the end I didn’t cancel. I said yes to the offers of help, stayed up the extra hours and let go of all the extra details that just couldn’t get done. The night before I lay awake thinking about all of the pieces that had fallen through the cracks and were too late to address. I opened my studio door feeling vulnerable and tired.
Then folks started to trickle in. Strangers came by and told me they’d seen my work on social media and couldn’t believe there was a real painting behind it, created just blocks from their house. A neighbor I had never met told me how moved he was by my piece on creativity and how he himself was a composer using music to make sense of the world. My eighty year old friend made the trek over wearing a face mask and said she couldn’t stay because her lungs couldn’t take poor air quality, but that she wanted to show up and support my art anyway. Old friends showed up with hugs and food, new friends showed up and entertained my kids. People bought my art and shared their stories and made me feel both a part of something bigger and rooted right where I am. Sunday night I lay in bed so filled by all the beautiful people who had showed up for me. Thank you all so much. Here’s to community and “opening your doors” whatever that might mean in your own life.