It Begins Today

So I begin a new journey. A journey that definitely makes me really uncomfortable. It is not that I can’t do it - it is more of I feel I am just not that great at it. But today it begins.

My friend, Effy Wild has challenged me and lit a spark. To write in my blog daily for the month of April. I love Effy!! She has been an integral part of my growth in the online creative community. If it wasn’t for her and a few other creators - I would not be in this space, successful and seen. So thank you Effy! Challenge accepted.

So today I begin to write. Yeah it might not be that good. I might make grammatical errors (I got rid of my Grammerly account - maybe I should reinstate that). But I am going to do it. I am not sure what I will write about, but I will just write. It will start intuitively and maybe words will just flow - like my art.

It begins today……

So in my first blog post (I will be sharing here on my website and on my Patreon account with added vlogs when I can or need to). I want to share a story I recently wrote. This is for my Intentional Creativity training in Color of Woman. It is definitely a deep dive inside but I am excited to take on this journey. One of my first assignments was to write my story and illustrate it in a book. I can’t tell you how hard this was. I mean, I love writing stories but to actually write it down and illustrate and share is a whole other story. I must have written ten different drafts - each one rambled on into oblivion or my inner critic just said “this is stupid”. Eventually I dug deep. I pulled to memories and feelings. I asked my Muse to guide me and she told me to outline your thoughts. She told me to write down those things you have cherished. She told me to remember. So I did. I remembered AND I used that energy to craft a story. It is fictional in nature but it is a real story - it is my story.

Come join me on Patreon to watch an illustrated video version of my story

The First Step

The Story of a Woman’s Mystical Journey

Chapter One

by Christa Forrest

Once there was a woman who longed to take a mystical journey.

This wasn't any journey. This was something the woman had been dreaming about since she was a small child. This journey was filled with mystical forests and skies that illuminated with the colors of the rainbow. Rivers flowed a deep turquoise blue and the animals roamed freely. Ahh… this journey was where the woman wanted to be.

Seeking guidance and wisdom, the woman visited her Nana. Nana was an old wise woman. Every wrinkle in her face signified a roadmap of her time and space. She was always filled with nurturing stories that inspired the muses.

Her Nana also baked a mean batch of gooey, yummy, sweet chocolate chip cookies!

Nana welcomed the woman with a warm cup of tea and yes, those yummy cookies right out of the oven. The smell was so inviting and spiritual to the woman. She felt safe and embraced this feeling whenever she visited her Nana. Her senses were ready to listen.

Nana would tell her stories. The woman heard these stories hundreds of times before. Each time the woman loved to listen. Each time like they were brand new. Listening to each story with wonder and delight.

Her Nana would shared of how she came to be on this land and how her ancestors before her shared their stories. The woman listened with intense concentration, absorbing every word, expression and breath. Her eyes opened wide and hoping she could one day tell her own stories. Just like her Nana.

Her Nana paused. This was her gesture to see if there was anything the woman wanted to share. The woman took a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak. She told her Nana about her mystical journey. She vividly illustrated the beauty and wonder of it all. Occasionally looking through her Nana’s eyes for validation. Her Nana always nodded.

The woman always got excited when she shared her mystical journey. Her heart fluttered and her knees would shake. Her Nana would always sit quietly taking in the woman’s every word and expression with patience and stillness. Nana smiled and would always wink her eyes in agreement. The woman could feel her strength and wisdom embracing her. The woman always knew her Nana was always open to listen. her Nana knew these were the woman’s own stories beginning to form.

Nana responded, “Your passion lies ahead of you.”

The woman took a deep breath and sighed, “But I am scared and fearful.”

Her Nana closed her eyes and whispered, “Fear is good.”

The woman began to feel an inner doubt. She had dreamt up this mystical journey and wanted to experience it. She wanted to feel it and see it. She created artwork, wrote stories and imagined the beauty of how this journey would transpire. She made wishes to every star in the universe and prayed to her ancestors. The woman created this beautiful journey in her head over and over but was always scared to actually do it.

Her Nana knew this. She knew that the woman’s journey would only come to be when she was ready. No one could force her to take this journey. The woman would know when she was ready to take the first step.

Her Nana knew that it was that time. She was ready….

The woman nervously sipped her tea and nibbled her warm gooey cookie. Ahh… it was so good and her tummy did a happy dance with every bite she consumed. Her Nana always baked cookies when she came to visit. Her Nana gathered the remaining cookies and placed them onto a bright red handkerchief embroidered with a delicate floral pattern. Nana made this with her old crooked arthritis stricken hands. The woman always loved to watch her create. Her Nana folded the handkerchief and tied it together with a beautiful red thread. Her Nana didn’t have to speak, the woman knew what she was saying. Her Nana gently placed the carefully wrapped cookies in the woman’s hand. The woman placed it in her coat pocket.

The woman asked her Nana, “What if I don’t find what I am looking for on my journey? What if it is nothing at all what I have dreamt it to be?”

Nana’s strong gaze melted with the woman’s questions. She embraced the woman and held her arm tightly. The arm where the woman’s hand held the wrapping of cookies. Her fingers fiddling with the red thread that tied it all together.

The woman knew what this tight embrace meant. She knew her Nana’s small gift and the red thread that bound it all together was their connection. She knew that her Nana and all the wise woman before her would be there along her mystical journey. She knew she would be supported and their guidance would embrace her. She just knew…

Nana whispered while she embraced her, “My dear, what if you do find it? What if it is everything and more?”

She let go of their embrace and kissed the woman’s forehead. Her Nana guided her towards the door. The woman felt the cool breeze of the evening’s air. The trees danced to the breeze and the leaves sang along. The stars were extra bright and the moon was full. The woman noticed this. She put her hand back in her pocket and felt the red thread. A reassurance that it will all be ok. The full moon’s reflection showed in her Nana’s eyes. The woman could see all of the wise woman singing and dancing there too. She felt safe. At this point the woman knew she was ready.

She took her first step……

A story by Christa Forrest, inspired by her Nana - Great Grandmother

Nana emigrated to the United States in the 1910s from Prague. Her husband was Swedish and German. She raised her family in Chicago and later moved with her daughter, my Grandmother and Grandfather to New Canaan, CT. I spent so much time with my Nana. She taught me to bake, sew my own clothes and encouraged my creativity. I remember her hands and knuckles were deformed but she never complained of the arthritis that took over her hands as she got older. She passed away at 93 in 1996 but I know she would always support me in whatever journey I had. She probably is right now……