Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Tuesday March 24, 2015

Ingrid Erickson
North Carolina
March 2015

Tuesday March 24, 2015

Today marks just over a week of my two week residency here at the Rensing Center, and I already know the time to be too short…this rich mixture of companionship and solitude, reflection and discussion, against a backdrop of rapidly greening March hills has made for a very productive time.  It is often difficult to strike a balance between teaching (which I love) and my own practice.  Here I have been able to become utterly absorbed in my own work. 
I hear the tinkle of the goats’ bells from the adjoining meadow; the leaves of the giant magnolia glow in the afternoon’s still-warming sun…Walking and writing have enriched my daily practice while I have been here. Each day I have taken my journal to the waterfall to write and think.
From my journal yesterday:
10:42am The ground is damp from yesterday’s long rain and I saw the deeply imprinted prongs of deer tracks following the trail…A wild turkey burst from the brush as I was rounding the bend towards the creek.  The song of the creek is a little louder and more assertive after yesterday’s rain.
I’ve enjoyed the Rensing Center’s many outdoor spaces in between bursts of studio activity—a bench in the garden by the daffodils has become my favorite afternoon coffee spot. I’ve enjoyed cooking with bay leaves from outside Justina’s studio, and fresh oregano, sage, and parsley from the herb garden behind the pottery. Each day something new seems to burst into bloom.
This has been a pivotal time and place for me, and has allowed me the time and space to think broadly and deeply about my work without distractions. I know that I will take some of this momentum and energy with me.
-Ingrid Erickson, March 15-28, 2015

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