When the Words Began to Flow

 I don’t know exactly what happened to me — maybe it was the move to our farm.

My paints, brushes, and easel are all stored away until I can find the right place to set up my studio. In the absence of these tools, I suddenly felt the need to write.I usually write while I paint, keeping a small personal journal beside me, but this time the impulse was different. I didn’t want to write about my paintings — I wanted to tell stories. And almost effortlessly, words began to flow. Ideas started flooding my mind, asking to be let out into the world.

It actually started after one of our I AM Conversations with a completely unexpected guest — Eldra Jackson. During that episode, we did an exercise he calls the Open Circle, about the importance of releasing family secrets and reclaiming one’s freedom.

I think that conversation unlocked something in me. Maybe that’s why I’m writing now — to reclaim my own freedom.

To speak the stories that have shaped me, and to honor the path that brought me here — from the depths of loss and transformation to an incredible world journey with the Space for Art Foundation.

Maria Lanas