Spain was magical in the way that you believe in fairies and superheroes as a little kid. It constantly surprised me in the most beautiful and unexpected ways. I feel like being an artist can be defined by a person who finds beauty in the ordinary and in the unexpected. With this definition in mind, I lived like a true artist while in Barcelona. There was so much beauty everywhere I looked even when in the face of the brokenness of the world. I was able to see God’s hand in each path that I walked of the decorative streets of Barcelona. I left Spain a completely different person than when I arrived. There were so many lessons and gifts that came my way. Leaving Spain, I am filled with joy, wisdom, and insight. This blog is my written diary of all those beautiful lessons and gifts that entered into my life there. I hope you will love the journey as much as I did.
Now, take a minute with me and imagine what it’s like to leave everything you know and are comfortable with for a trip across the sea for 10 weeks in a foreign country with a completely different culture and knowing no one there. It may be hard to imagine just because of how wild it is. I still can’t believe I did it. Only a week before I left did I begin to have second thoughts, doubt and fear. I am so glad I pushed past them because of what I experienced there. My first lesson was completely experiential; it taught me that sometimes the best experiences in life start with a river filled with fear. But once one passes through the river and arrives on the other side, there is this landscape that is utterly breathtaking and divine. I know now that fear can be an extremely helpful emotion to alert dangerous situations, but sometimes fear blocks us from living our truest life. One that encompasses an extraordinary amount of joy, laughter and goodness. Fear is sometimes the first step in life altering journey that pushes you to the depths of God’s love.
One of the biggest gifts was discovering what it means to find beauty in the unexpected. This phrase came to me while writing a post for social media during my time in Barcelona. I found that the more I looked and opened my eyes; the more beauty I discovered in the corners of life that are often overlooked. One example of this was my friendship with a 91-year-old artist Joan Bueno. The moment I met him I felt life surging through my body because of how much life he exudes in each moment. We quickly developed a deep friendship through our shared love for art, creating with a purpose, and lots of moments filled with laughter. Joan always made me laugh in the way that is full and fills up the room with joy. He is free and alive in a way that many people will never experience because of their own judgment, perceptions or fear. He is kind, helpful, witty, disciplined, hard-working, stubborn, and loving. During my time in Barcelona, I saw him every day Monday through Friday. My third week there I invited him to lunch, and it was a blast. I learned so much from my time spent with Joan and the friendship we made touched me in more ways than one.
One of my focus words for 2024 was balance. I have struggled with balancing my life as an adult since the very beginning of adulthood. In Spain, I was given the gift of learning what it means to live a balanced and full life. The biggest takeaway being that in order to have balance one must rest. Rest is fundamental to achieving a life of balance. In the beginning of Creation, God made a point to have a full day of rest. As an adult, I never could accomplish rest. Even the idea of resting made me incredibly uncomfortable. ‘To rest is to be lazy’ was often my mantra for myself. Barcelona taught me the power of rest and how it ultimately makes one more productive in the short and long term. I found myself completely in love with being balanced. Every day I was moving my body, eating whole foods, connecting with other artists, listening to music, reading for leisure, and connecting with God. I recognized that a life filled with work dominating everything is really not a life well lived. A meaningful life involves many different pieces coming together to make the puzzle complete.
The final lesson I want to share with you is the truth that God’s timing is perfect. I have always struggled with this concept of “God’s timing”. It felt like a feel-good way for people to say ‘it’s not happening yet but maybe one day’ to one’s desires that are very deeply felt and intimate to a person. What I learned is that God’s timing is really beautiful in that all the steppingstones leading up to the viewpoint finally make sense. God’s timing is being able to see the waterfall after a long strenuous hike knowing that it was all worth it in the end. Feeling the breeze of the cool waterfall and the mist as it caresses one’s face. In that moment, one can’t help but take a deep breath of gratitude. When I came to Barcelona, I was filled with fear and doubt. I was definitely in a fake it till you make it phase. Then as God started opening doors to other opportunities, friendships were being made, rest became a true companion, balance found its way into my life, and laughter was a common occurrence, I realized that I was exactly where I was supposed to be. The peace that comes from knowing you are in the right place at the right time is truly divine. There is nothing like it and no words can truly describe that type of peace.
Barcelona helped me come alive in a way that no place has before. God gave me the greatest trip that was overflowing with powerful transformation, bundles of joy, dedicated hard-work, intricate balance, new experiences, delicious food, kind friends, and beautiful art. It was the trip of a lifetime, but truly just the start to many more to come. I am so confident in who I am now and what I am here to do. I am proud to be me and honored to create art. Magic has filled me to the brim with joy from all the beauty that Spain so generously gave me. One of my good friends in Barcelona nicknamed me as her little butterfly and I don’t think there is anything more prophetic than that name in this moment. I am the butterfly who has transformed into a powerful woman who delights in the good gifts God gives. I will continue to soar through life with joy and wonder, always cherishing the present adventure and anticipating the next courageous journey.
Thank you for coming along with me in this crazy and wild life I live. As always, I hope my art inspires you to love more, connect often, and pursue healing.
