AWE.

February is a tough month in New England. In this heart of winter, when everything feels so grey and colorless, as a painter and lover of color, sometimes it’s easy to lose inspiration. I’ve always dreamed of escaping and traveling to some warmer place…where I could get an infusion of greens, blues and maybe even pink. The allure of the exotic…the soft breeze blowing through the palm trees. Alas, I remain in New England and on the cusp of March, I am yearning for spring.

This February, as I felt my spark waning, I decided that I needed to change things up a bit. Maybe I couldn’t get to Tahiti, but if I changed my view on my drab surroundings, what could come of that? I am a walker. I have favorite walks I have done for decades. Walking is often where I get my ideas and find my creative flow. What would happen if I walked in parts of my city I had never been before?

So I set the intention to walk with an adventurer’s mindset. I was an explorer of a new exotic place each time I set out. It was exhilarating! I walked with open eyes and an open mind…ready to witness something new and unfamiliar. Even a mile from my house, I found myself in entirely new, mysterious territory. Everyday things began to reveal themselves as beautiful…detritus strewn at a construction site by the river, layers of tape on a bus stop, limbs of a European Larch against the sky.

Previously overlooked aspects of the world somehow reinvigorated with my attention. Walking in new directions led me to exotic places where I found clues to refresh my inspiration. I began to appreciate the significance of seemingly insignificant things. These walks into the unknown awakened a sense of awe. Awe-walks. I learned that magic exists in February despite the cold and monochrome. Each day is an opportunity to be amazed if you open to the possibility of the unconditional beauty around you. This amazement has reignited my creative practice and with every new walk I take, there are more beautiful clues to follow.