i've loved nikki mcclure for years and this isn't the first time i've blogged her work. well, ever since i lived in olympia. so for about 10 years now. there is something about her artwork that really strikes a chord with me; her simple, yet deep reminders to getting back to what is important - getting back to our center. and she would agree with me [and you can see so obviously from her art] that to do this we must exist in nature, live in nature, listen to nature...
yesterday i was referred to an old post on my blog from a reader. it dated back to about a year and a half ago. then i just started reading a lot of my older posts, much as one would do when going through old journals, right? well, i did this and realized what a STARK contrast my life is like here in LA as opposed to south dakota. let's face it. most of you have seen and told me - "it was basically you, or you and your husband in a field, with NOTHING else in sight for MILES AND MILES". yep that was it. and also, "i NEVER would have pictured you in los angeles, layli, never. ever". and it hit me last night -- that while i love LA [and i do], there is something totally lacking in my spirit in terms of this longing, this yearning to be back to a basic way of life, where the quality is ramped up and the life is more simple. there is something so powerful about having a lot of time on your hands to go explore the outdoors, well also frankly, cos there's not much else to do.
i know, in some ways, i sound like an indivudual who is careful to not fall in to the trap of "the grass is always greener"...and frankly, i don't know if that belief/saying applies to me, as i've moved SOOOOO many times in the last 10 years. honestly, i can't even count. i know that this simpler, richer life is possible to a great extent. some of my best friends still live in alaska and really live off the land and sea as much as possible - totally badass.
when i saw this image from her 2012 calendar, i almost died.
when i saw this image from her 2012 calendar, i almost died.
she does such an amazing job capturing life in the pacific northwest and the culture of huddling around bonfires till late in the night, in awe of your natural surroundings. there is something so rich and deep about being with your buddies around a fire, on a cold beach somewhere, with nothing to do but visit, laugh, be silent together, looking at the stars, skipping stones, hunting for phosphorescence. and in the later months of the year in alaska, you are extremely blessed to see [and maybe even HEAR] the northern lights dancing above you.
i've always loved hearing about artists' creative/working processes. and this video interview is also really great, i love her simple, yet profound messages/beliefs regarding the self and nature.
see all of her work here. and purchase a print or poster or a wall calendar [i've purchased one every year for 4 years]. it'll cheer up your house, for sure.
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