“Introvert, Interrupted” is a fine art print that was selected as an Editor’s Choice winner in a recent Minted art and design challenge. I created this limited edition print from a section of a larger abstract painting that I completed in early 2015. If you’re an introvert (or just hate to be interrupted), maybe you see it too – happy swirls of pink and yellow flow along, broken up by sudden, jagged pieces of serious navy blue. It can be jarring, and difficult to get back on track. You can purchase the print exclusively from my brand new Minted shop. It’s available in sizes up to 60″ x 44″ (!!!).
Speaking of being an introvert…wow. Traveling for three weeks and not having full-time weekday childcare since the end of July has been quite an experience.
Don’t get me wrong…becoming Drew’s wife and Nathaniel’s mother are the absolute best gifts that the universe has given me. I’m grateful for the time that we get to spend together as a family and I love the bond that we share.
Creating art and immersing myself in my work are also very important to me and a big part of who I am. Spending time alone is essential for me to be able to do those things. Also, as previously discussed here and here and here, I am an introvert. My Meyers-Briggs personality type was INFJ for years and the last time I took the test I had morphed into an INFP.
Being an introvert means that I have to have time and space to be able to mentally process and decompress after taking in a lot of stimuli – for me this includes interaction with others, the novelty of new places and adventures when traveling, and visiting art museums, all of which I’ve been doing a ton of over the past six weeks. When I don’t have that time or space, I can feel it in my body and brain – tension, anxiety, distraction, resentment, depression…basically I’m tons of fun to hang out with.
While traveling, I let my daily meditation lapse. Obviously, that’s when it was more important than ever to do it, but our schedules and odd waking times and room sharing didn’t always easily allow for it. I started getting back into it much later into our trip after I’d chosen to stay in and catch up on Pretty Little Liars in the bathtub rather than go out and have dinner in a new city. I had reached my fill of input.
A Quiet Moment at the Harpa in Reykjavik, Iceland | Photograph by Melanie Biehle
Even though I haven’t gotten nearly enough time or space or quiet lately, I’ve been managing…umm…okay, anyway. Much of that is due to my stellar husband who takes Nathaniel to the park for a couple of hours when I need to work or gives me time for morning meditation. I can’t imagine how hard it would be without his love, support, and understanding. So many people do “all the things” on their own, without much help from family or friends, and I’m so grateful for the support that I have.
But still, even with all the love and gratitude and excitement over our travels that I feel, it’s been hard too…and not just the introvert stuff. Which is seriously painful, you guys! Drew was laid off from his job before our trip, and even though in many ways this is a big, exciting opportunity for him to create something brand new for himself, it’s still stressful at times. And yes, you can always find tons of someones who have it worse than you do, but guess what? That doesn’t make it easier for you in that moment (or them, by the way). I think it’s important to acknowledge when things are tough for us, for whatever reasons, without having to compare our own troubles to someone else’s – just own it, express it, and be grateful for all of the wonderful things that you do have in your life.
“Oh my gosh, is she ever going to write about her trip?!?!”
Yes…yes I am. But as you may have read, I’m kind of busy readjusting and catching up on my commitments right now. In the 10 days that we’ve been back I’ve had client projects to finish up, an art series to complete, a tour of Nathaniel’s new school, visitors in town from Austin, a new client meeting, and I’m headed to a book launch party right now. Oh yeah, and our teachers are on strike so Nathaniel didn’t start kindergarten this week as planned.
Expect a lot more sharing in this space, including some stories and photographs of our travels. Hopefully soon! xoxo