Calamity Stained Art is a space where life is written in color and story. Here you'll find honest reflections, small victories, and the messy middle of creativity and everyday living. From behind-the-easel thoughts to ordinary moments that spark art, these posts explore how personal experience shapes work, resilience, and meaning. Expect candid observations, process notes, and the occasional project that grew out of a life well-lived — imperfect, curious, and always moving forward. Join the journey: read, reflect, and connect with the stories that make art and life inseparable.
Writing Process
I have been trying to sit everyday and do some writing to make progress on my book. I find it difficult to sit and think about specific days and moments in my life when I am trying to sit and focus. I have so many things going on in my head and things I want to do I find it very difficult to stop and do that one thing. Some days I can sit and write 3000 words and some days I am lucky to get down 30. But I suppose 30 is better than 0 (although I have those days as well). I wonder what others writing processes are that are just starting out writing or have years of experience. I am taking a creative writing class to help me figure out how to better explain things in words so that when people read it they can see it. I also got multiple books from the book store to hopefully help me to find motivation to keep going.
I know this is all on me and if I want to complete this goal I will just hunker down and get it done. I have given myself til the end of the year to get my first draft written and put together. That leaves me about 2.5 months left to write and see where I can get. As this is my first book I have written I know it will take much more time to go back through and edit it all but I am also excited to see what someone else thinks about it and how I can make it better. If you are a writer, I hope you find time to get your stories completed and shared with others. I look forward to reading more during this process and journey as well.
Interim Role and My Future
I have been thinking about this a lot lately. I am currently in an Interim role at my job. This has been the most rewarding and most difficult job I have ever had and I love it so much. I wouldn’t trade my last year for anything. With that being said, I knew what I was signing up for when I applied for the position, the temporary part anyways. When I took on this role it was for at least a year, with recent events it has been extended for up to another year. There are decisions that will need to happen over the next year that will directly affect what my future in this position looks like and my team and I are all anxious to see what happens.
Being in an interim role is not easy. You want to make it your own and make positive changes and be a good leader but you know that it could all go to someone else later on. I am thankful that, if I do not get the opportunity to continue in this role, I have gained so much in the time I have been in it. Great experience, positive relationships with others in my organization and on my team and confidence in myself that I can do hard things.
In my time I have always treated this position like it was my own, like I would be the person to hold it for 5-10+ years until I need to grow into something else and allow someone else to grow into my role. I have created better processes, created a better culture in the department and expanded educational accesses to students. I will continue over the next year to keep making it better. Whether I am in the position or not I want to make sure the team and the students are set up for success and can continue the amazing work that they do. I am nervous and anxious for the future but I know no matter what happens this experience has been nothing but positive. I have grown so much and I look forward to seeing what else I can learn and how else I can positively impact the students, the team and the community.
Bitch, You’re Doing a Good Job
We are our own worst critics, right?!
I feel like I need to remind myself to stop and think about all I have accomplished and stop thinking about all the things I haven’t done yet. Sometimes I stay in bed for a long time in the morning on the weekends. I beat myself up about that sometimes because I know there are so many productive things I could be doing with that time. Lately, however, I have been reflecting on all the things I completed the week before and allow myself to rest.
I work really hard during the week to make sure my team is taken care of and the individuals that we support can continue coming into our buildings to have opportunities to better themselves. I work hard to meet my goals every week so it is ok to take time and just rest. I could get up early on the weekends and keep grinding but what would I have left for myself or others if all I did was push push push every single day.
As I am getting older I am trying to focus on how I can shift how I can put more energy into others in other ways to better my community and the environment around me. Trying to figure out how to align my passions with work is always an interesting internal dialogue. I know it takes time and I need to slow down sometimes. To do this, I need to keep telling myself, “Bitch, you’re doing a good job”.
Finding Myself
Who even am I?
I feel like life is all about trial and error and figuring out what you should and shouldn’t do. Most of the time we find ourselves reflecting on how our choices have affected other people. I have spent a lot of time lately reflecting on how my choices have affected me. Maybe it is because I am getting older and my kids are getting older and don’t need me as much anymore. I am not sure what it is about turning 40 that made me really sit back and think about life and where I am now and how I want to spend the next 40+ years of my life. This blog and website is dedicated to me from me in a way to reflect on life, share my experiences and opinions and just live.
This might be just a way to share my life, whether people read or join in or not, but I am hoping it will also hold me accountable to truly find myself through reflection of the past, living in the present and exploration in the future. I plan on doing this by trying new things and saying yes more when I used to say no. I hope to expand my social circle so I can continue to create meaningful relationships within my community and partner with others to make the world a better place.
I will be posting a lot of randomness because I am a random person. The recipe of me is vast and I would be surprised if anyone could figure out all of the parts to me. I will be sharing a lot of realness and vulnerability. I won’t be talking about only positive things and things that go well, this is space of realness and not fake posts to grow followers. I hope anyone that reads these posts or checks out my art or projects can find a way to relate or find a way to share their own stories.