I’ve had a lot of big transitions in the past few years, from moving to Germany to leaving my job to pregnancy to rehoming a beloved pet.
What I’ve found is that that liminal space in the middle of change, where the past and the future butt up against each other, is the hardest. The present is the norm; the future will be the new norm; and the leap from one to the other is raw and painful. While crossing that threshold between now and next, the ghosts of what was are viscerally present: this time last week, I was… Yesterday, right in that spot, so-and-so was here… So it goes until the new becomes routine.
I have come to realize that I will always be ok; it’s just that the transition can bring many painful emotions. It’s something that simply needs to be felt and moved through. This, too, shall pass.
My art journal reflects it all — every emotion and ease or struggle, every creative block, every heartbreak. While I’ve been art journaling for more than 15 years, it’s only in the last five that I’ve settled on a consistent journal type and a regular creative practice. The photos at the top represent moments in time: my bachelorette party, creating at my dining room table in Baltimore, coming back to basics here in Cologne.
Having a visual record of the past five years means more than I could have known when I started, and I’m so grateful I’ve continued with this journey.