Miscellaneous Archives - Ingrid Murray

Living, Intentionally

White blossoms on a branch in sunlight, backlit by a blue sky.

Today I turn another year older (and hopefully, another year wiser). I’m grateful I’ve given myself every chance to keep going, and am celebrating my softness, my childlike delight in the small things, my kindness, my creativity, my sense of humor.

A few lessons learned in my time on earth thus far:

All we are ever granted is the present moment. Make time for the good things, the off-screen things, the people and hobbies and activities that make our days meaningful. How we spend our days is how we spend our lives.
You are important. You are worthy of love and gentleness and peace and safety. Never, ever abandon yourself. Seek out the tools you need to trust yourself more, support yourself more, and be your happiest and healthiest.
The little things are, in fact, everything. Don’t wait for those rare moments of perfect euphoria; find joy in the everyday.
Art-making is a spiritual practice. Keep creating.

(There’s so much more goodness to come.)

Things of Note, 2023

A 4x5 grid of photos of nature, art, travel, and a cat.

This year was hard. From my newsletter: “As a whole, [2023] was a one of wild — and often painful — growth. Though I’m happy to have it nearly behind me, I do appreciate the lessons it reinforced: community is everything; joy is everywhere; art is central to my well-being; and I am, unquestionably, loved.”

Navigating the complexities of moving to Germany. Celebrating our first anniversary alone and getting a visa in the same week. England and a lawyer. Early mornings on the train and a thick pink folder with all the documents. Receiving, finally, my residency permit. Learning the subway stations by heart.
A clean bill of health, again — something I’ll never not be grateful for.
Growing my art practice. Hanging a piece at Out of Order. Messy May. Joining a studio and selling my work. The Kindred Collective. Joining the Get Messy teaching team for 2024. Late nights painting and listening to audiobooks.
Seeking community. Game days. All the dogs at the Ministry of Brewing. New tattoos. A week with mom in spring. The Social Melting Pot. El Jem. Awkward first friend dates. Drinks and Mexican food and Weihnachtmärkte and the Thermalbad. Düsseldorf and Bonn; cookies in camping chairs. Barbecues. A visit from Kris.
A hot, hot summer. Days on the Rhine. Pasta salad. Naps with ice packs. Florence with E. Layers of art and history. Wine and pasta and limoncello with a new Israeli friend.
Moving, twice. Purging everything and seeing my things distributed among loved ones. Saying goodbye to a favorite home, sunbeams, and all my routines. Later, months of apartment hunting; a final, slow move just before the end of the year.
Practicing self care: the Lewis Museum, a luxurious bath, books, the Santa Clause, puzzles.
Surviving. Cat fights and real fights. Missing home and friendly faces. Exhaustion. Gloomy days and gloomy moods. Two trips to Tunisia. Sarcasm and frayed nerves and bed at dinnertime.
Going back home: kitties and kombucha and game day and the ER and puzzles and Chipotle. Dutch Blitz. Target and Savers. Texts and calls and The Mysteries. Being reminded, again and again, of how loved I am, and how missed.

Past year reflections.

Offene Ateliers Köln

Detail of mixed media on paper, with black, lime green, blue, and neon pink as the primary colors.

Blank pages within a bound handmade book.

Diptych mixed media on paper, with shades of green, white, and dark blue as the primary colors..

Detail of clorful mixed media piece on paper.

Diptych mixed media on paper, with black, lime green, blue, and neon pink as the primary colors.

Diptych mixed media on paper, with shades of yellow and peach, white, and neon orange as the primary colors.

Front cover of handbound book. It features gnome-like creatures painting a large blue question mark.

Last weekend — only about week after I joined the studio collective — Atelier No 5 participated in Offene Ateliers Köln (Open Studios Cologne). The once-a-year event invites art studios throughout the city to open their doors and artists to share their work.

We held a reception on September 8, and despite having little to show given my move and limited time in the studio before the event, I was thrilled to sell two pieces (above, bottom left). While my personal art journals aren’t for sale, I was also proud to showcase several years’ worth and speak about the process of creating them (in German!).

A white wall with 10 colorful abstract art pieces in varying sizes. On a table below sit four completed art journals and two blank art journals.

Atelier No. 5

A wooden table with a beginnings of a handmade book and bookbinding supplies.

I am exceedingly excited to share that I joined a shared studio space at Atelier No. 5 in the south of Koln. This opportunity allows me to connect with the artist community, build new relationships, and spread out and get messy (without the threat of curious cats).

Other artists currently at the space include:

Daniela Buchal
Bernadette Cornelius
Caro Döring
Martha Frances Ebken
Manu Beermann
Anja Meyer
Anke Ricklefs
Tanja Schmiechen
Claudia Tober
Juliane Trautmann

So much more to come.