Friends,
I write to you from my new home studio. Kids are playing outside at the school around the corner, and their chaotic joy spills over into the garden and swoops up with the blackbirds, bursting into a bright blue sky.
Almost a year of living in an apartment we didn’t love, unable to put up art or make a cozy home, we finally made the decision to move. With the excitement and exhaustion of a move came the series of many “firsts,” like buying a washing machine, moving a fridge, installing ceiling lights, and transferring our gas, water, and electric to the new apartment (in a country we’ve lived in for eleven months!).
Despite all of this, every day in our new home brims with joy. Taking the time to listen to our true desires and acting on them feels OH SO GOOD.
Before we fully moved in, I came by one afternoon to drop off our collection of gods and amulets. As I placed each little god in their corner, I heard the house say:
“This is the place you will create revolutionary art.”
Buckle up, y’all. I am preparing a new offering for springtime and can’t wait to share it with you soon!
The universe said, “Hey, for once try just illustrating and see what happens.”
So, the learnings continue… this time in the form of an ILLUSTRATION-ONLY Washington Post assignment. Why the all-caps? Well, 99.9% of the time, I am the ideas person, the writer, and the illustrator, all-in-one. Letting go of the idea-crafting and writing portion at first made me feel uneasy. “I get to ‘just’ illustrate? Really?”
After realizing that this was in fact a gorgeous opportunity to pour my love into illustration, I let myself play. What came out surprised me. I didn’t know such soft and lovely characters lived in my universe! Now I know I want to create more of these characters, perhaps to live on greeting cards or posters.
Then, the universe said, “It’s time you take your work to the beach.”
Last week, I found myself gazing at Jupiter from the rooftop of what Condé Nast Traveller has called one of “the best yoga retreats in the world.” Casa Fuzetta is an exquisite retreat in Olhão, a fishing port in southern Portugal.
As for how I ended up there…
Ready for a story?
Almost five years ago, when husbae and I were considering opening an artist’s residency and retreat as a way to move to and live in Portugal, I contacted experts in the retreat world to learn about how they made it all happen. One of the people I contacted back then? The wonderful Tara of Casa Fuzetta.
A few months ago, Tara invited me down to Casa Fuzetta to record an episode for her new podcast. (I mean, how could I say no?!) What was supposed to be a 1 or 2-night stay turned into a week, as magically, my dates coincided with Casa Fuzetta’s winter workation, a self-directed retreat that invites folks to combine their work with a beautiful seaside vacation.
Wading in the fresh February ocean with a new friend, ooo-ing and ahh-ing over gems of vegetarian plates prepared by a Michelin star chef, and picking up fresh tomatoes at the mercado with my workation buddies, I realized this is what I desire: the sharing OF and the sharing IN beauty with a loving and kind community.
While I knew this to be true in my artwork, I realized I want to LIVE this too! By creating and looking for these opportunities of beauty in my own life, I can gift myself what I truly desire.
Soul spark ✨
What’s been inspiring me lately
When I am making art, music helps me step into the world I want to be in. Here’s an album I’ve been listening to a lot lately. It’s the music from one of my favorite animes, Natsume Yuujinchou.
The anime is about Natsume, a teenager who frees the spirits that are bound to his late grandmother’s notebook. I love the anime’s beautifully painted countryside landscapes of Japan, and I watch an episode or two when I want to reaaaally relax.
Remembering to pause, listen, and hear what the universe has to say,
Haruka