Season of Chapters

with Mou Saha

Recently, I was lying on a stretcher in the ER. I have never been in that much pain. It came on fast and it came on hard and it came on all-encompassing. I’ll give you the ending right at the beginning because this story is not about the pain. The source was an ovarian cyst on my right and a dead ovary on my left. I’m all okay now, except for my dignity, which was absolutely left on that ER stretcher. And, you know, my ovaries that were left somewhere else.

My recovery meant that I couldn’t sit. I could only lie down or stand for a bit. I grieved the fact that I’d never journal in the same way again.

In my grieving, I remembered when such a shift had happened before. When my son was born five years ago. Back then, I had to let go of the unlimited free time to make art.

Before that, another paradigm shift happened when I began earning money from my art. I had to relearn how to make mistakes (in public), fail (in public), and learn how to create when the criticism was no longer inside of me.

Even before that, I had to relearn to create during depression, moving countries, moving house, loss of friendships, loss of space.

This story is about the shifts. About constant relearning. About figuring out how to fit art into life, again and again.

The truest truth I’ve ever learned is that seasons pass. This is great news if you’re in the midst of a sleep regression with a newborn. This is not so great when the season you’re in is actually kind of wonderful.

Art is all about flowing alongside these seasons. It’s a big reason why Get Messy runs in seasons (a theme for each month). It’s a fresh start, a new page, a closing, and an opening of a chapter.

This month the season is Chapters.

What chapter are you in?

Class Lessons

Introduction
Breaking Patterns with Mou Saha
Textured Reflections with Amanda Trought

Mou Saha

Mou is an artist, author, teacher and speaker. She has been published over 800 times in print media, appeared on PBS TV shows and taught workshops around the States, in Europe and online for Creativebug under JoAnn, Etc., Big Picture Classes, Michael's, Get Messy and many more. Mou's background as clinical psychologist fuels her ongoing quest for wellness through daily creative and spiritual practices. She has represented brands like Faber-Castell, Anna Griffin, Sizzix Ellison USA, etc. and been a freelance writer since 2005. Mou is a mom of three humans and one canine and lives in New Jersey, USA.

Amanda Trought

London-born Amanda is a Mixed Media Artist whose work has been showcased in both group and solo exhibitions across London, Barbados, US Virgin Islands, and Montserrat. Her art, which spans various collections worldwide, has earned her a variety of awards, for her sculptural art and textile wall hangings at the National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA) and the Central Bank Crop Over Visual Arts Festival in Barbados.

Amanda's artwork has also been published in several books, and her own book Sometimes I Write Poetry. Her art uses diverse materials, including clay, fabric, recycled elements, collage, and art journaling. Through these mediums, Amanda crafts stories, utilizing color and texture to evoke emotion and connection. She is also committed to exploring how art and creativity can serve as tools for communication by looking at the impact of creativity on health and well-being.

In addition to her artistic pursuits, Amanda is an educator, teaching on her own course platform Realityarts Academy as well as contributing to other hosted courses. She writes for her website and blogs and produces weekly content for her YouTube channels sharing her expertise in art, creativity, and gardening, continuously inspiring and nurturing creativity in others.