humbled and happy

what a surprise when i opened up my gmail on monday to see a sweet comment from kerri saying "where have you gone, julie king? I have been a fan and visitor of your blog for a long while and it has been so long that I am worried that something has happened to you. if you get this message, please leave a sign that you are okay." i am a-ok, kerri, and you are so nice to ask! that's me today (trying to let my hair grown out) alive and well. i'm living in my hometown close to my kids and grandkids and working at a small USA toy manufacturer doing design work, creating products, writing copy, buying materials, having FUN. one of my goals in moving back "home" was to get out of the corporate rat race and simplify my life. this job totally fits the bill and is only four blocks from my sweet apartment. yes, i can walk to work!

the chalkboard sign in my kitchen reads "i am in charge of how i feel and today i am choosing happiness". i learned the hard way to  make good choices in my life and i feel the path i'm on now is the healthiest i've been in a long time. isn't that just the sweetest space above? i create art on that table in the breakfast nook. i love it!

yes, i am still making art although i don't consider it therapy anymore. now, it's just plain fun! i closed my etsy shop down a while ago but may consider re-opening it one day. for now, i like the low stress of creating when i want, selling a piece now and then and feeling no pressure to create.

while getting my fingers messy with paint, i developed a little technique for hand cutting paper stencils and using them to "paint" onto canvasses. it is super messy, easy and fun. it motivated me to start teaching art classes in my hometown -- all very low key. i usually teach one adult class and one kids class a month, weather permitting. the classes are called "happy messy fun art class" and i like spreading that around in my small way.

i've had a little luck selling art at a local coffee shop and it still surprises me when i sell art straight off of my facebook page.

although i don't get out and around with my nikon quite as often as i used to, i still enjoy taking photos and tromping around out in nature.

i've wanted to write a memoir for a long time and have joined a writer's group which has been very motivational, cathartic and supportive. after a long dry spell, i'm finally blooming again. looking back over the last decade or more of my life, i'm grateful the strong people who believed in me and pushed me to seek more in my life -- the life i truly deserved all along. i feel truly blessed to have come out the other side of a major depression. i'm humbled and happy. what more can we ask for, my friends?