Sometimes when the news feels like too much, I just need to get outside. Sometimes I go no further than the yard, finding myself standing in front of the garden, catching my breath. Even when there are weeds to pull, I start to feel better almost immediately.

But why does that happen?

The other night I was talking with a friend after a meeting we had both attended. Our cars were parked next to each other, which made it easy to just stand there and keep talking. I had noticed she seemed a little off lately, so I asked, and she began telling me about the overwhelming things she had been dealing with lately.

Do you ever feel like the news is just too much? Lately, that's been me. Some days I hold it together. Other days, I just feel overwhelmed by it all.

That's usually my sign to take a break, because overwhelm freezes me up, and I need to be able to take even small actions against the injustice I'm witnessing.

My artworks often portray specimens that are no longer alive, or as I usually call them, dead things. Even when I'm not photographing something dead, I almost always incorporate pressed dried leaves and flowers, roots, or feathers into the layers of a piece. There's just something about these earthy, finite things that draws me in and fascinates me.

During my summer break from teaching I've been doing more than enjoying the long days and the garden, I've also been taking a hard look at my art business and how it all works for me. Or doesn't. I am a compulsive creator, and sharing hope and healing through my work is at the core of everything I do. But sometimes living that out well means making decisions that simplify and protect the life that makes the art possible in the first place.