An irresistible moment with a mustang

One quiet morning in March, I sat down on a shady bench in a pasture. The two mustangs living there seemed undisturbed by my presence, so I pulled out my sketchbook and began to draw them. After a while, Willow - who I had never met before that day - approached me and positioned herself standing over me, her heart center near mine. She softly inspected my drawing and me, and stayed there - soft eye, relaxed body.

After a few minutes just soaking in the gift of this offering from Willow, I risked breaking the spell by taking a short video with my phone. Later I hesitated for a bit about sharing this tender moment, then went ahead and posted it on Instagram with little explanation, trying not to overthink it and mostly let the moment speak for itself. Just 29 seconds, no music.
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Six weeks later, over 35,000 people have viewed this video - my farthest reaching post BY FAR. I am not a person with a big social media presence - with under 1k followers, my posts commonly get hundreds of views, not thousands! The numbers keep climbing.
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I know that what makes something spread on social media is not simple, but I also feel like the fact that people have collectively spent over two days watching this moment says something about what we are seeking right now. About the power of the gentle presence of a mustang mare.
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What do you think? Have you watched the video? If it connected with you I'd love to hear more. Does it remind you of moments you have had with horses or other animals?

Looking back

Three years ago this month I opened my first solo art show, a tender yearlong project called DREAMSCAPING, and it's still echoing in my life, work, and relationships today.

I began this project to find out: Can we change our dreams through art? For over 20 years I have been visited in my dreams by a horse named Reno who was once my partner, then died in front of me. I drew, painted, carved, and collaged Reno for over a year while keeping a dream journal. In this project I explored how making art helped me to: remember Reno, process the feelings underlying my dreams, find new peace with the past, and uncover questions that went beyond Reno into the present.
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This project has continued to reverberate over the years in so many ways. It has: sparked conversations with people about their own experiences with loss and with dreams, shifted my relationship with my own dreams and with Reno's memory, informed the way I use art to process new loss, and supported me to move into new relationships with horses more in alignment with my heart. The project also lives on in the art I created of Reno.
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I'd love to invite you to join/revisit this project with me! Here are some ways:

• ​Watch a video virtual tour of the exhibition (11 minutes)
• Or view the show program (pdf)
• Art from the show including originals and prints are available in the Etsy shop here
• ​Postcard sets with 4 pieces from the show available here​
• Visit my website to see what people had to say about the show​
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Upcoming workshops: What works best for you?

I'm currently working on setting new dates for online mindful art workshops. Help me find the best time for you!
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Reply to this email to tell me more about what times or days work well for you.

With care,

Jeanne