Putting Down Roots

I’m writing this post while sitting on the deck of my new studio. A few months ago, this was little more than a dream. And now I’m sitting here thinking about putting down roots.

MINE.

Holy Crap, That’s a Lot of People

This weekend was Open Studios—my first in Port Angeles. I didn’t know what to expect but it was amazing!

The number of people who came blew my mind.

This wasn’t my first rodeo. I’ve been participating in studio tours on and off—mostly on—since 1998, and I’ve never had so many people come by.

All day. Both days. Non-stop.

Whew. A loose count–probably close to two hundred. That was a whole lot of meet & greets. A lot of chatting. And more than a few solid conversations.

Remember what I wrote about conversations last week—how everything starts with a conversation?

Well, I must’ve started a whole lot of things this weekend because there were a LOT of conversations going on.

And it wasn’t just me.

People recognized one another from previous studios on the tour. Or from life. People who came separately ended up talking to each other.

And then there were the people I recognized.

At one point I was talking with a woman and thought I knew her from somewhere. I couldn’t quite place her, but just on a hunch I asked:

“Are you Freya’s mom?”

The look of shock on her face told me she was.

And when I told her I was Charlie’s mom, she recognized me.

We had a good laugh over that. Puppy class. In the next town over. Did I remember her name?

Nope.

Freya? Absolutely.

And she wasn’t the only puppy-class parent who came. Lori and Mark showed up. Phinka’s parents. They showed me a chewed up tour map because they knew I’d appreciate that.

Apparently one sign of putting down roots is knowing the local dogs before you know their people.

At one point it sounded like there was a party going on upstairs.

Seriously. I was downstairs talking with someone when I heard laughter coming from above. Not little polite chuckles. Belly laughs. And thumps.

I have absolutely no idea what was so damn funny. But it sounded so right.

And then there were the neighbors. Not the ones I already knew—although they were there, too. People who live on the next road over. North and south. And people who live over the creek and through the woods. People who’ve been right here all along that I’d never met.

Until I opened the door.

Putting Down Roots

Somewhere in all of this, I realized something. I’m becoming part of this place. Not just living here. Belonging here.

There’s a difference.

I’ve written before about the landscape of connection—the people and experiences and chance encounters that become part of the landscape of our lives.

When we first moved here, I was paying attention to the other kind of landscape. The Strait. The mountains. The trees. The light. The weather.

All the things that made me think, I live HERE now.

But while I was busy looking at all that, another landscape was taking shape.

People.

A conversation here. A familiar face there. Joining the local art community. Showing up. Getting to know people and their dogs. Nothing dramatic. No official ceremony where someone handed me the Keys to Port Angeles and declared me local.

It just happens.

Roots.

What Grows When You’re Not Looking

The thing about roots is that most of the growing happens where you can’t see it.

I think that’s what surprised me this weekend.

I’ve been so focused on getting settled here. Building the studio. Building the house. Finding my way around. Starting over with my art in a place where almost nobody knew me.

I didn’t notice that something else was happening at the same time.

I was becoming connected.

A conversation here. A puppy class there. Joining Open Studios. Meeting one person who introduced me to another.

Little things.

Until suddenly there were people belly laughing upstairs in my studio and neighbors walking through the door.

And I thought, Oh.

This is what putting down roots looks like.

It makes me wonder what else is growing in my life that I haven’t noticed yet.

Especially creatively.

There are always things hovering around the edges. Something I noticed on a walk. A color combination I can’t stop thinking about. A conversation that sent my brain off in some unexpected direction. An idea that keeps poking at me even though I have no idea what to do with it.

Maybe those are roots, too.

Maybe I just need to notice where they’re going.

This Week’s Creative Prompt:

What’s taking root in your life right now?

Don’t look for something big and impressive. Look for the small stuff. An idea you keep coming back to. A person you’re getting to know. Something you’ve started making. A place that’s beginning to feel like yours.

Maybe you don’t even know what it’s becoming yet.

That’s okay. Just notice what’s growing.

And if you’re reading this because you walked through my studio door this weekend, welcome.

I’m so glad you’re here.

Until next week–