Little gifts

I've been open for 2 months now and each weekend I wonder how it will be.  Will I get enough art time?  Will I sell anything?  As Sunday comes and goes I have time to reflect. throughthe conversations that I've had over the weekend that feel like a gift.  The beautiful thing about being an introvert is that we hate small talk and conversations are important.  We cherish them and remember them.   We listen to them replay and think about the person attached to them.  
This past weekend I met another fellow art educator and had a connecting conversation over art pedagogy and the importance of teaching critical thinking through the arts.  I visited with a couple of Monmouth business people about students being back and how the energy downtown is changing.  I hung my art at Crush wine bar and treated myself to their amazing fish tacos.  One of the themes I've been noticing are the amount of recent transplants to the area.  New friends that have just moved here in the last couple of years.  Often they've moved because of tragedy else where and needing a place of rest and safety.  I'm so happy to live in a town like that.  I came here with that a part of my story as well.  
As Sunday is here again I feel myself deeply grateful.  Grateful for the community that I chose to move to, grateful for the people here that have been kind and welcoming,  grateful for the patrons that are supporting the gallery and grateful to have a  gallery of art to nurture and share with my neighbors and community.
Art is a language, and I'm grateful to be able to share this language with Monmouth and my community through out the valley.  

Julie

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