The summer has come and gone and the leaves are changing color a little later than usual this year, maybe because of the lack of rain or the unusually warm September weather. Either way I can sit on the steps and have my morning cup of coffee and listen to the migrating birds that stop here for a short rest and a bite before moving south to warmer climates.
My heart fills with sadness that another year has come and gone and I need to take time to heal. Art will always be the healer of my broken spirit and soul and it will mend the pain like no medication can do, but the need to make a name for myself has vanished on the winds that take the eagles south.
North Shore Clay~Where the Art of Healing Begins...
Maybe my healing has begun...
Monday, October 5, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
The Sun Will Someday Come
And I will be waiting. Summer seems to be taking it's sweet time and I suppose it will be all the sweeter to me when it finally does arrive. And hearing the rain softly on the roof and watching the drops run down the window pane knowing that I am right where I am supposed to be is comforting in itself. There are struggling people all around me and everywhere I look I see the remnants of what's left of our economy. My husband has a job and will work many long, hot, hard hours this summer on the blacktop of our highways making our travels a little smoother. If only it were that easy. I know how lucky I am. I think the sky is clearing toward the west. Can you see it? Remember how lucky you are...
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Go AGGIES! Just being a Good Neighbor...Vintage!
Sometimes I think I need three blogs to keep everything straight, but then I remember how confusing it can be sometimes trying to keep up with 2 little stores on Etsy and I quickly change my mind. I have a personal blog at http://whathealsme.blogspot.com/ and you can feel free to visit that anytime, my dear readers, to read about the real me. But before you go if you know of any alumni or fans of Texas A & M have them take a gander at this fabulous vintage dominoe set personalized to say AGGIES. The company that makes these is no longer using this logo for Texas A and M. Pretty cool, huh? Well, for the person who invests in this beautiful vintage dominoe set it is...Cool I mean. Just check it out...
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24398633
As always, thanks and best wishes!
Kim
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24398633
As always, thanks and best wishes!
Kim
Monday, April 20, 2009
Wind and Water
A drive just long enough to make you start wiggling and anxious to just get there and I was at my destination. It matters not where I went although my surroundings are beautiful and I see Lake Superior and hear her crashing on the shore as I stand on the balcony and feel the wind and the rain whip around me. A long overdue break awaits and with my return will return my dreams.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Let the Healing Begin...In Truth
The snow is melting, the April sun has some warmth to it and it's been busy in the North Shore Clay studio over the past few weeks and months. I told myself last fall that if I just stayed busy enough that winter would fly by and spring would be here soon enough. In theory, it worked well and I tried not to "think" too much about how long the winters can be here on the North Shore of Lake Superior and wiled away the long days and nights not only dreaming about the success that I want for myself, but truly trying to make it happen. And then I had the proverbial "aha" moment. You know the kind I'm talking about. The kind of moment when you realize that everything you have been working for is actually bigger than you...It's not about you anymore. In fact, it has never been about you. Let me explain.
If you are a follower of my blog then you know that I have chronic pain, blah, blah, blah... and I have three forms of arthritis, blah, blah, blah...and that working with clay has been a therapy for me and now I can't insert the "blahs" anymore, because this is where my "aha" moment gets started. Some days my pain was so intense that all I could do was cry. Finding "clay" gave me something else to think about. Chronic pain is really "in your face." It's always there and it never goes away. Strong pain medication is not the answer. Your body will get used to the pain medication and you will need more and more and it will not be pretty. Some measure of healing can begin with art. The telling of your story through art will begin the healing. You will still have pain. Art will not stop your pain, but it will get it "out of your face." The medium you choose does not matter, the mere act of choosing will stimulate your mind away from your pain. From there, the process begins, what message are to you trying to deliver through your art, what story would you like to tell, what beauty do you see that you would like to interpret in your own way and through your own vision. I once met a young man who was so consumed with physical pain, that when the leader of the group asked him to share one beautiful thing he saw over the past week, he sat for a full five minutes and thought about it. At the end of those long minutes he said that he did not see one beautiful thing that week. Tears of great sadness stained my cheeks that day and I realized that I was still able to see the beauty in my life. I went home and found my favorite picture of twin fawns standing in a clearing at the edge of my yard back lite by the sun and took it with me the next day to class to give it to the young man. I wanted to share my abundance of beauty with him. Sadly, he never returned, they put the picture of the fawns on the bulletin board with his first name in case he ever came back and I often think about him and what becomes of someone who can see no beauty.
If you are struggling with pain issues it may seem like there is no beauty anymore. It may seem like you are alone with your pain. It's okay to tell the story of your pain. It's not whining. It's your truth...I'll say that again...If you are having pain issues...It's your truth...the difference between those of us who strive to remain strong and true to ourselves and those that don't is that we keep moving our feet. Simple thing I know, but it's true. If you stop moving your feet you're done for. Find something that you are passionate about and let it sweep you away! There is no time like now to take control of yourself and believe that a measure of healing can begin for you.
Each one of my clay pendants and necklaces are inspired by something that I have been through personally or something that I strongly believe in: For example, this necklace is titled Salmon Run, It is my personal request to keep our rivers and streams clean so that the Salmon can continue to return to their origins like they have for all time. We have polluted the waters and built man made barriers that have made it almost impossible for the salmon to spawn.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23378878
This next piece is simply Jesus on the Cross and I don't think any explanation is necessary. Jesus is my Savior and I thank him for saving me...
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23380564
One last thing before I close, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of these necklaces will be donated to the Arthritis Foundation. There are over 100 forms of arthritis and those 100 forms of arthritis are the #1 cause of disability and pain in the United States.
Please be sure to visit my shop for other handmade necklaces that are for sale. If you are visiting on the North Shore of Lake Superior you can find my necklaces at the Mocha Moose and at the North Shore Cafe! Watch for more information soon!
I would love to hear your stories of healing through art. I'm hoping to put together a collection. Thank you for taking the time to listen and I hope that I have inspired you in some small way to pick up a brush and canvas, or dust off those watercolors or get some clay and let the healing begin...in truth.
If you are a follower of my blog then you know that I have chronic pain, blah, blah, blah... and I have three forms of arthritis, blah, blah, blah...and that working with clay has been a therapy for me and now I can't insert the "blahs" anymore, because this is where my "aha" moment gets started. Some days my pain was so intense that all I could do was cry. Finding "clay" gave me something else to think about. Chronic pain is really "in your face." It's always there and it never goes away. Strong pain medication is not the answer. Your body will get used to the pain medication and you will need more and more and it will not be pretty. Some measure of healing can begin with art. The telling of your story through art will begin the healing. You will still have pain. Art will not stop your pain, but it will get it "out of your face." The medium you choose does not matter, the mere act of choosing will stimulate your mind away from your pain. From there, the process begins, what message are to you trying to deliver through your art, what story would you like to tell, what beauty do you see that you would like to interpret in your own way and through your own vision. I once met a young man who was so consumed with physical pain, that when the leader of the group asked him to share one beautiful thing he saw over the past week, he sat for a full five minutes and thought about it. At the end of those long minutes he said that he did not see one beautiful thing that week. Tears of great sadness stained my cheeks that day and I realized that I was still able to see the beauty in my life. I went home and found my favorite picture of twin fawns standing in a clearing at the edge of my yard back lite by the sun and took it with me the next day to class to give it to the young man. I wanted to share my abundance of beauty with him. Sadly, he never returned, they put the picture of the fawns on the bulletin board with his first name in case he ever came back and I often think about him and what becomes of someone who can see no beauty.
If you are struggling with pain issues it may seem like there is no beauty anymore. It may seem like you are alone with your pain. It's okay to tell the story of your pain. It's not whining. It's your truth...I'll say that again...If you are having pain issues...It's your truth...the difference between those of us who strive to remain strong and true to ourselves and those that don't is that we keep moving our feet. Simple thing I know, but it's true. If you stop moving your feet you're done for. Find something that you are passionate about and let it sweep you away! There is no time like now to take control of yourself and believe that a measure of healing can begin for you.
Each one of my clay pendants and necklaces are inspired by something that I have been through personally or something that I strongly believe in: For example, this necklace is titled Salmon Run, It is my personal request to keep our rivers and streams clean so that the Salmon can continue to return to their origins like they have for all time. We have polluted the waters and built man made barriers that have made it almost impossible for the salmon to spawn.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23378878
This next piece is simply Jesus on the Cross and I don't think any explanation is necessary. Jesus is my Savior and I thank him for saving me...
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23380564
One last thing before I close, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of these necklaces will be donated to the Arthritis Foundation. There are over 100 forms of arthritis and those 100 forms of arthritis are the #1 cause of disability and pain in the United States.
Please be sure to visit my shop for other handmade necklaces that are for sale. If you are visiting on the North Shore of Lake Superior you can find my necklaces at the Mocha Moose and at the North Shore Cafe! Watch for more information soon!
I would love to hear your stories of healing through art. I'm hoping to put together a collection. Thank you for taking the time to listen and I hope that I have inspired you in some small way to pick up a brush and canvas, or dust off those watercolors or get some clay and let the healing begin...in truth.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Teaming Up to Make A Difference
Kim Svoboda of North Shore Clay and Patti Rowray, Owner of the Mocha Moose, just south of Two Harbors, Minnesota on Scenic 61 have teamed up to help fight the leading cause of pain and disability in America, arthritis.
I was surprised when I learned that there are over 100 forms of arthritis and have realized that most people aren't aware of the devastation that chronic pain can bring not only to the individual living with arthritis, but also to the community at large.
I live with three forms of arthritis myself and what started as a therapy has turned into a passion named North Shore Clay. As I work the clay with my hands I am often inspired by not only my journey through physical and emotional pain, but also the pain of millions of others who live with chronic pain on a daily basis from arthritis like me.
My hope is to inspire others to believe that some measure of healing can be achieved through art. Art will not cure chronic pain, but it can give you an outlet for the expression of your pain and your feelings.
When I met Patti Rowray of Mocha Moose and she saw my clay necklaces and pendants, she wanted to have them in her gift shop! And as fate would have it, Patti has a personal connection with arthritis as well, her father has arthritis and her sister-in-law has rheumatoid arthritis and Patti completed a 26.2 mile marathon on December 5, 2000 for Joints in Motion raising funds for the Arthritis Foundation.
So North Shore Clay and The Mocha Moose are teaming up to make a difference in the lives of those with arthritis and inspire others that live with chronic pain that some measure of healing can begin with art!
A portion of the proceeds of these beautiful handmade clay necklaces made by Kim of North Shore Clay and sold at the Mocha Moose will be donated to the Arthritis Foundation.
I was surprised when I learned that there are over 100 forms of arthritis and have realized that most people aren't aware of the devastation that chronic pain can bring not only to the individual living with arthritis, but also to the community at large.
I live with three forms of arthritis myself and what started as a therapy has turned into a passion named North Shore Clay. As I work the clay with my hands I am often inspired by not only my journey through physical and emotional pain, but also the pain of millions of others who live with chronic pain on a daily basis from arthritis like me.
My hope is to inspire others to believe that some measure of healing can be achieved through art. Art will not cure chronic pain, but it can give you an outlet for the expression of your pain and your feelings.
When I met Patti Rowray of Mocha Moose and she saw my clay necklaces and pendants, she wanted to have them in her gift shop! And as fate would have it, Patti has a personal connection with arthritis as well, her father has arthritis and her sister-in-law has rheumatoid arthritis and Patti completed a 26.2 mile marathon on December 5, 2000 for Joints in Motion raising funds for the Arthritis Foundation.
So North Shore Clay and The Mocha Moose are teaming up to make a difference in the lives of those with arthritis and inspire others that live with chronic pain that some measure of healing can begin with art!
A portion of the proceeds of these beautiful handmade clay necklaces made by Kim of North Shore Clay and sold at the Mocha Moose will be donated to the Arthritis Foundation.
"I may have pain, but it doesn't have me."
Kim Svoboda
North Shore Clay
Monday, March 9, 2009
A Long Winter
Oh my, blogging to be done and no time to do it...yikes, better make time tomorrow. Lots of beautiful pictures to post and lots of stories to tell. Visit my personal blog at http://whathealsme.blogspot.com to read about my inspirational journey through pain and what perserverance can do for you!
Thanks, Kim
Thanks, Kim
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