Thinking Of Frida

The Broken Column

Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo is one of my favorite artists.  Her life was filled with tragedy and pain, both physical and emotional, and that is something I connect with.  She spent many weeks laying in bed, healing from an accident that nearly killed her and so painting became her outlet.  Her paintings are pure, raw emotion.  Words could never express what she does with the stroke of her brush.

For the past couple of weeks I have thought about her a lot because I have spent many hours laying in bed trying to heal from a back injury.  I needed to do something to get my mind off of the pain - something creative - and so I picked up a pen, pencil and paper and began to draw.  Suddenly, I was transported to a familiar place - a space I hadn't visited in a long time - and it felt like going home.  I used to draw all the time when I was younger, but somewhere along the way drawing gave way to painting and other artistic pursuits and I didn't realize how much I missed it.

I happened upon Zentangle, which is basically a fancy way to doodle, but it helped put me in a meditative place and made me forget about the pain - both emotional and physical.  If you need a way to find a quiet space in your mind, I highly recommend trying this out.  It's not difficult and anyone can do it.  There are several videos on youtube to get you started.  Here are a few examples of these little drawings I've completed during the past few days.