Operation: Spread Bright Spots

This year I am turning 40, to celebrate this milestone occasion I have decided to share 1000 bright spots.

What is a bright spot?

A bright spot is anything that brightens your day or makes you happy! It could be running into an old friend in line at the coffee shop, a favorite song playing on the radio, seeing a butterfly, opening the mailbox to find something other than a bill or advertisement. They can most certainly be scheduled, sought out and bought, but I have found the ones I enjoy most are spontaneous, unexpected and found. 

How are you doing this?

As an artist, I have loads of art sitting around and it is time for all those pieces to find homes. My boys and I are excited to hand deliver as many as we can, hide a whole bunch for people to find guerilla art style, send some off in the mail and lead a few workshops on what it means to choose happiness. 

I am working with some fantastic partners to bring bright spots to various community groups: seniors, youth programs, rehab facilities, military, etc. If you work with individuals in need of joy and would like to partner, please reach out. 

I have designed several different Zines, think mini magazine, that explain what bright spots are, how to collect them, how to use them. These are a great educational resource for folks that are on the pursuit of happiness. This stuff isn't taught in schools, it's seldom discussed in religious settings, and it can be difficult to sift through shelves of self-help books to find the answers. Therapy and coaching are awesome, but not everyone has access to those resources. This is my attempt to share what I learned when my life suddenly got very dark, this is how I found my way out. To shine a little light into the dark times and help people navigate is what bright spots are all about. 

Getting older is kind of intimidating so I am channeling my anxiety into doing good, shushing any negative self talk by offering kind words to others, and most of all trying to model to my boys what it looks like to live a life to its fullest. 

 

How did all of this come about? 

While I am currently on a mission to spread bright spots, it is important to note, it hasn't always been that way. Joy was something I had to learn. My freshman year of high school my dad had a horrendous affair, after that, everything was lost. My parents went on to remarry and decided it was easier not to include me in their new lives. I held on to the stories I read throughout my childhood of those who suffered greater horrors than what I was witnessing. I was determined to rise above my circumstances and find a way to help others. 

While in college, my beloved grandmother passed away quite unexpectedly, and when she passed I was left with a stack of self-addressed stamped envelopes she had given me. Oh, how I grieved for her and all the things I never took the time to tell her. In my quest to heal from generations of family trauma, and assuage the guilt and shame I felt over not being better at keeping in touch with the only person that had continued to care for me, I found the concept of bright spots and my humble little art project was born. 

Beginning with little more than a handful of pens, a tiny bit of free time, and a “can-do” attitude, I started making greeting cards with the simple message “stay in touch.” 

My love for collage, layers, color, texture and ink eventually found its way into my art. My husband was the sole recipient of many of these early pieces, as I was determined to never let a day pass without telling him just how much I adored him. One day I stumbled upon him taping up one of the cards I’d made so he could keep it in his wallet, and mini love notes were born. 

I am a self-taught artist. I devour online workshops and constantly find myself enrolled in one too many at all times. My kids are constantly being asked if they want to put their toys away and come paint with me. The world holds so much pain and darkness, despair and suffering. It will never be just. But, I don’t let that stop me from trying to shine brightly the love and light that guided me when I was lost. 

Bright spots are a quest in gratitude. It is an intentional choice to look forward, to connect the dots, to look up from whatever weighs us down. Bright spots are a step-by-step process in creating a life you love by starting where you are with what you have. They cost nothing but give everything. They are my whisper, my shout, my all, and only death can stop me from collecting them, creating them and sharing them.

 

Thanks for being here. You can purchase a spot for yourself or someone else here.