The Nordic Goddess of rest gives us the invitation to rest. To let go of all we’re holding and to sink into the darkness, calm, and healing powers of it.
In a society that is so focused on more–doing more, having more, being more–I think it’s time we talked about embracing less. The constant strive for more is burning us down from the inside out and in the end isn’t serving anyone. As someone who has faced the side effects of burn-out and started my own journey of recovery, I want to talk about the steps it takes to heal this burn and create new life from it. (I’m sure there is a great metaphor about wild fires and the lush wildflowers that bloom in burn sites here.)
Join me in this episode, as I share the steps I took (and still take) when burn-out occurs.
In this Episode I talk about:
- Getting back to healthy foundations– Sleep, Eating, Movement
- Solitude to tune in
- Defining your values
- Re-wilding to who you were before the world told you who to be
- Libido and the power of creation
- Building a community
- Embracing rage and tears
**PLEASE NOTE: I am not a medical professional and share these resources as things that have helped me. Before changing any physical regimen, diet, or lifestyle habits, please speak with your doctor or wholistic health care provider.
Helpful Links:
Women Who Run With Wolves (This book will change your life!)
The Retro MaxPack Digital Brushes
Woman Code (all about understanding your cycle)
Past Podcasts with Katie Leigh as the guest
About the Painting
This painting of Nótt gave me a run for my money which is why there are two of them. (One better than the other in my opinion). I wanted to give the sense of calm and rest which wasn’t coming out in the Gouache painting (above left). While gouache can create some amazing textures and colors, creating a glowing effect has been a struggle for me since it’s water based and things start to bleed into each other. I wanted the figure and her horse to feel back lit with the fading sun as they calmed down and found their own sense of peace. And the first painting just didn’t portray this.
The other challenge in this painting came when finding reference photos for the pose. There weren’t a lot of photos of a woman lying with her horse or at least not in the position I imagined, so I had to make it up as I went. Having to make this painting twice allowed me to play with the body and position a little more so that in the digital painting (above right) it felt more fluid.
What the digital medium allowed me to do was layer light in a way that made it stand out and gave it that glowing feel. The darker color and the sun below the horizon line also gave the feeling or rest which was the main focus for this piece.
After it’s all said and done, I’m really happy with how this piece turned out. To me it shares the peace we feel with the fading summer light after a good long day of play and work has finished. Almost like the rest we find when in community around a fire pit. My favorite kind of rest.
Want the Print That Goes with This Episode?
Hang this painting in a place that will remind you to come home to your space and yourself every day.
