Moving

Hello -

It's been a long while since I last posted here.  It occurred to me that I should let you all know that I've moved my website and my blog to a new platform.  I'm on Squarespace now.  You can find me here:  https://mybrownwren.com/blog/.

It is my hope to blog more frequently, adding some free how-to type content for jewelry makers, and to share more about me.  I don't usually share too much about me personally, but I think it's important to let you know why I have long spans between posts.  Like most artists, I am always in a state of flux about my work - how I feel about it and whether I am worthy enough to call myself an artist.  I may not be the best artist, but I try my best - most of the time.  I am making a commitment to myself to do a little art everyday, whether I feel up to it or not.

Last year, I had hand surgery to repair a trigger thumb and to release a tendon that was causing weakness in my right pointer finger.  I had an amazing surgeon who really got what was going on - in more ways than one.  You see, ever since I was a little girl, I have always been super flexible.  I never thought much about it.  But, with the help of this amazing and wonderful surgeon, I have been putting the pieces together about why I am the way I am.  Let me explain...

I have a very sensitive system.  I have had anxiety and depression my whole life.  Until I met my hand surgeon, I had no idea it was part of a complex syndrome that also causes me to be quite flexible.  It's called Ehlers Danlos.  I have the hypermobility type, which makes my joints super flexible.  The laxity in my joints causes me to experience periods of tremendous pain.

As I learn more about Ehlers Danlos and the associated disorders, I have discovered that I need to be very careful with my diet and fluid intake.  When I am careful, I tend to have less pain, sleep better and feel more energetic.  When I'm not taking the best care of myself, I go through periods of horrible insomnia and excrutiating anxiety, which consequently makes me very depressed.

As I learn more about myself and how this disorder affects me, I am learning to accept where I'm at.  I've also discovered that drawing and painting help me to feel more calm.  So, I've been spending more time these days in my home studio painting sweet little house paintings and drawing lots of tiny houses, birds, flowers and bugs.  I will be sharing them with you through my process of discovering me.  It's a good place to be!