marking my words

spending my limited spoons wisely

I almost abandoned my daily blog post streak in favor of resting.

Sounds a bit backwards of me since I'm a huge advocate for rest, slowing down, and being mindful, but sometimes there are opportunities that are worth the cost of being zapped and drained for a day or two.

I weighed my options and decided to stretch my very limited amount of spoons today to attend the Mystic Fair. Not only did I get to spend great one-on-one time with a friend I'm becoming closer to, I was able to attend a few workshops that were pretty interesting.

Here were the workshops I sat in:

What was lovely about the whole event was a multitude of my favorite things conjoining into one: the library, local small businesses, and spiritual and creative practitioners, facilitators, and artists. Not to mention the loving benefactors who support the work through sharing their hard-earned cash in exchange for goods & services.

As a professional tarot reader myself, I found great benefit to being around believers - a place where I didn't have to hide my weird and could generally unmask and be at ease.

Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to see ANY reader today, as all of the tarot readers, palm readers, and psychics got booked out pretty quickly. It was a disappointment, and made me contemplate on how I can sign up for the event next year as a provider. I thought against it a moment later, as I much prefer intimate settings where I get to focus solely on one person.

The Fair was fairly packed, and the sunny weather outside was wearing me down very quickly. Heat exhaustion is nothing to scoff at in Las Vegas, heatstroke is deadly and swift. My friend and I left early to grab a refreshing drink and to chat in a more peaceful atmosphere.

It's nice to connect with fellow Filipinos and Filipino-Americans lately. The only thing I purchased at the market was an artwork titled "Ancestral Blessings" by Loisse Ledres, a Filipina-American artist. The print comes with the following description on the back:

Ancestral Blessings, $30

10x10", art print on archival textured paper

Originally a mural painted for Life is Beautiful (2023)

Blessings from my late tita and lola, who I feel often watches over me and guides me wherever they are.

I felt great resonance with her artwork, and especially with the story behind what inspired it. When purchasing this print, I told Loisse I would be placing it on my altar where I meditate and communicate to my spirit guides and ancestors. I expressed gratitude for her devotion to her work, mentioning that her efforts and representation make a difference to our community. Art stirs us, and sends ripples of hope and change out into the world.

Met with her art, which to me feels like an undeniable extension of her heart, I felt that ripple as a wave. I, too, want to make my mark and serve the collective in such a grand way.

Her response humbled me, reminding me of my own strife; she confessed that sometimes doing this work gets really isolating and difficult. Although she didn't say, I sensed the difficulty was the lack of recognition; that many undervalue art, severely underestimating the power of it.

I nodded, understanding the words unsaid.

How can we find sustainable support, especially financially, for our very important creations and projects?

That is the multi-million dollar question I'm still contemplating today.

In other news, I have a bit of a backlog that's beginning to become gnarly...

To-do:

Hoping I can get a full night of deep rest. My goal is to wake up with more spoons tomorrow and to tackle at least the half that list.

Here's to dreaming out loud!

Thanks for being here. ♥︎

Sincerely,

Nadine