swallow the bitterness savor the sweet

some minimalist instructions for life — for my past and future self to remember and recite back to me, when I need it most. it could also be: swallow the sweetness, savor the bitter. because bitterness, too, can be truly appreciated as a portal for wounds and its transformation. what is light without dark? nothing. and that, for me, is the whole point of making art — to be still and present with yourself enough to feel the feelings, no matter how overwhelming they are, and to witness them, and yourself — as you are. in making art, we move emotions and experiences through us — and into its own form, into something that can be held, released, shared.

ways to do this:

feeling it in the body, like visiting birds
writing about it. in free form, with full permission
or maybe in deep journaling form.
paint it as colors and shapes
log it, describe it: as changing weather

here’s some stuff i made from bitterness

bad things happen to us — on sexual assault
365 days of moon journaling - on heartbreak & loss
antarctica - on heartbreak & loss
poetry as prayer - out of more heartbreak & loneliness
a forest grows in berlin - from heartbreak & feeling abandoned during a pandemic
I calculated how long it takes me to get over a man - in case the heartbreak doesn’t stop!!!

and some posts for wayfinding through dark places