I wish I could say I was working at my offerings since I was a child, but the truth is I didn’t think I had any ability. I thought the only kind of art worth pursuing was “high art” - elaborate landscapes, complex figures and abstractness. I was also afraid.
At the end of June 2022, I unexpectedly visited Sedona, Arizona, for the first time never knowing such a place existed. My jaw dropped, struck by the heart-stopping beauty, and never closed. Through some miraculous transpirings, I was able to live there for a year. A neighbor shared her travel watercolor kit and some random pieces of thread. I started sketching designs from the many hikes I took, where I had done far more picture-taking than covering measurable distance. My heart must have known then how I would come back to those moments.
That inspiration delights me, haunts me, and won’t let me go. And it continues as I make my home miraculously in another captivating place with spelling-binding details and critters - Big Island, Hawaii. I very much feel the vulnerability of putting myself out there, but so much love for this magical life is convincing me I cannot do otherwise.
c.christensen
And above all,
watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you,
because the greatest secrets are always
hidden in the most unlikely places.
Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.
—Ronald Dahl
Some Favorite Things
I came to the Big Island to pursue my passion for cacao and it’s taken a different but glorious turn :) I love surrounding myself with lots of color, trying out new patterns, and incorporating more texture. I absolutely adore seeing critters and bugs in their natural habitat! I love the smell of wood and sniff each frame :) And am totally fascinated with the grain variation in each wood type. Lines excite me because they represent infinite possibilities. At a soul-level, I need travels near and far. It is a life goal to become expert at the micro-adventure concept :) While I’m going on and on, I also love long walks on the beach and romantic dinners while the sun sets, ha!
Choice of Mediums
I feel like I chose embroidery and watercolor chose me. There are a number of yin-yang elements in them both that I feel I need to embrace to grow as a person. Embroidery is yin in its quietness, slowness, hiddenness, and comfort. It is yang in its intentionality and precision. Watercolor is yin in its randomness, as I never know where it will lead and, in its flow, a continual trusting. It is yang because it is a struggle, forcing me to go against my nature, working quickly and painting outside the lines. Watercolor is gloriously imperfect. It is helping me learn to accept my glorious imperfection.
Vulnerability & Mission
Making art is the ultimate act of vulnerability. Artists leave pieces of their soul in their treasures, yet those extensions of themselves are so easily dismissed or criticized. Art is also vulnerable because our society doesn’t value heart offerings making it difficult to make a living wage.
Life is truly magical but only if you are free to enjoy it! More people are enslaved now than at any other time in history. I want to use my vulnerability to help those whose vulnerability is being exploited, especially all the incredibly precious children being trafficked. I donate 5% of every purchase to Operation Underground Railroad (OUR). Thank you for partnering with me in this mission that will not let me rest.
Oooh, all the inspiration! Follow my micro-adventures on Instagram.
