Musing Summer

Ahhhh summer. The verdant greens. The lush fecundity. The joy of the warmth of the sun. A cool breeze in the shade. Minnesota summer has been a gift. A bit on the dry side, the lake and ponds are low again after their fullness of the post-winter spring melt. But we have not been in the cycles of extreme heat like other parts of the country/world, nor subject to extreme storms or flooding, so it’s been easy to be in July here (gratefully). Lots of time spent outdoors I finally finished the deck staining process right near the beginning of summer camp and I’m so happy with how it looks against the green countryside, blue skies, and light blue house exterior. I am looking forward to observing how it looks against the changing colors of fall and of course the one day (not-too soon!) contrast of the boards against pristine white snow.

July marks the beginning of the second half of the calendar year and as a Minnesotan it’s become one of my favorite months. I didn’t really realize that until recently. The ways I appreciate the fullness of summer, the constant warmth, the green, oh the many, many greens. I love watching when and how high the corn stalks shoot up in our neighbors fields, I love watching the baby cows galloping behind their mamas. I love the many different forms the water of the lake takes, sparking diamonds some days, still and calm reflective glass doubling trees on others. There is a certainty of summer in July in Minnesota. Steady, warm temps, bright sun, clear days makes it a month that I have come to truly honor and appreciate. A glory in the ways cold drinks feel more nourishing, flowers blooming with bumblebee butts dancing, the plants and animals seem to enjoy this season as much as I do.

Creatively I’m more in a state of early spring, still percolating and gaining momentum toward a few different projects I’m juggling. I’m still learning my new creative cycles as a recovering academic. Summer used to be the time to try to jam everything into existence while (maybe) not teaching. It’s where all the creative work got to live, but wasn’t really able to be fully nourished and tended to in my post-academic year state of burnout. I lived in a constant cycle of I know I should rest, but I should also be working on all the things I couldn’t do while teaching and fighting the academic Hunger Games (TM), and then if I rested I would be filled with guilt about not working so I wasn’t really resting, and then I’d try to work but I needed to be rested to get into the writing so then I’d not get anything done and feel guilt over my non-productivity… yes this run-on sentence is exactly the terrible feels cycle of the past represented accurately in the written word. And so, current KCF tries to resist these either/or scenarios by working enough rest into my daily life so as to assuage my nervous system. My capacity for stress has decreased so much that any slight elevation of too-much-to-do-in-one-day-ness forces me into a blocking off time in my calendar for the next days and weeks to preserve my ability to work with ease.

And so in an effort to invite more ease into my life at this moment in time here are some delights, musings, and observations I have been mulling over the last few days, weeks and months. They are not fully formed anythings but meaningful enough to share with you now in the hopes that one day in an upcoming season it may transform into something else:

• While meditating on a mountain I learned that wind rustling through trees sounds the same a car driving by
• The tree outside my front door is buzzing
• The wasp nest growing in the house, what could it mean? (besides the obvious necessary removal ahead)
• A family of turkeys with three female adults tending to 22 chicks
• Boat rides gifted to us by Vaimo’s Grandpa 
• Enjoying the bounty of farmers’ labor with our first ever CSA that we pick up on Mondays and I work all week to incorporate and enjoy all the vegetables so that not a single one goes bad on my watch is it’s own full time job
• Ice cream is good all year round, but excellent in the summer
• Meridian knowledges
• Entering my Shaman era
• Epsom salt bath rituals
• The magic of transforming water into ice
• Recycling glass jars for gifted embroidery thread stash
• Bluejays waking me 

May this summer time bring you the gifts of observing something that delights you wherever you may be. And peace, and ease, and warmth, and whatever you need more of in this season. 

What I’m Reading

Crying in the Bathroom: A Memoir by Erika L. Sánchez

I absolutely loved this book from front to back. A collection of personal essays, Erika L. Sánchez is able to relate to the artist condition in such a poignant way. As she weaves in her personal experiences with Bipolar, systemic oppression, and family of origin dynamics alongside dating, romance, and travel she manages to brings together a complex representation of the wild experiences it is to be a Chicana in our time. I honestly didn’t want to put it down which is a testament to her clear, approachable, and humorous writing style. She made me laugh out loud a few times and truly made me feel so grateful that she is writing her stories and sharing them with us in all their many forms as a poet, novelist, and now memoirist!

What I’m Watching

FIFA Women’s World Cup 

Here at the ChicFinn Cottage we love to indulge in a comes-around-every-so-often sporting event, especially if the athletes often intersect with fierce feminist advocacy — pay equity anyone? That this event also coincides with the 4th Annual Camp Haapaniemi (which is what we call the gathering where my Hermanitas come to enjoy lake life for a few weeks each summer in the form of an adult summer camp) is a bonus. We have watched the first two US games and are so dedicated that we will try to rise at 2:00am central time to catch the next match taking place in the wee hours tomorrow. Can the US team capture the title three years in a row?! Only time will tell, but what we know from watching the matches so far is that they are hungry for it.

Creative Ritual

Juggling summer camp duties, onboarding for my new role as an Artist Career Counselor (Minnesota artists book a session with me for free, anyone from beyond our state can also book with me or others), getting ready for an solo works exhibition at CLUES, and upcoming travel planning has me wildly juggling a lot of things. The biggest studio news is that while antiquing/thrifting with the Hermanitas I purchased a new embroidery sewing machine (BB’s first Bernina) and I’m so excited to knock out the patches of my dream with a bit more speed! In between summer camp activities, I have been stitching on my paintings as I make steady progress toward submitting one of them for an upcoming show. I have started a new fellowship application it will be my third time applying and I'm really hoping to make it further in the process this time around. Wish me luck please! Paintings remain on view and are available to purchase through Calendula Gallery in St. Paul. Sign up for their newsletter for information about upcoming events in the gallery! My online shop remains open, become one of my collectors and/or join the steady super-fans of the Art of KCF who support this and other creative projects with a monthly contribution. 

Upcoming Events featuring yours truly:

Thursday August 17 6:00-9:00pm Opening Reception for my solo show at CLUES 

Saturday September 9 1:00-2:00pm Presentation on my work and the historic Santa Fe Railroad Bunkhouse in Matfield Green with picnic to follow Register Here

Question to ponder

What has delighted you today? 

Thanks for journeying with me. I hope, as always, that you take what you need and leave the rest for someone else, or for another time. 

-KCF

The Art of KCF Newsletter is a fiscal year 2023 recipient of a Creative Support for Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.