It's been too long since I followed The Artist Way (by Julia Cameron) path and took myself on an artist date, so today I treated myself to a solo outing to Ohio Mart, one of my favorite fall activities in Akron. Ohio Mart, hosted at the fabulous Stan Hywet estate, is sure to inspire and delight, with hundreds of artist displaying their wares. I spent several lovely hours ogling ceramics, jewelry, paintings, wood creations, hand woven textiles, and more.
I chatted at length with the fascinating potter Sandy Miller. Her pottery blew me away, but it turns out she's also a talented master gardener, and her enthusiasm for working in one venue during warm months and the other during cold reminded me of the wisdom of Annie Dillard, who writes in her Pulitzer Prize winning The Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, "It is winter proper; the cold weather, such as it is, has come to stay. I bloom indoors in the winter like a forced forsythia; I come in to come out. At night I read and write, and things I have never understood become clear; I reap the harvest of the rest of the year's planting."
"I come in to come out." This line has stuck with me since I first read it year's ago - it's so simple yet profound, and it was lovely to reencounter the idea today as I spoke with Sandy. This idea of winter being rejuvenating is one of the few things that makes Ohio winters tolerable to this southern girl. Still, I'm grateful to have several weeks of glorious fall remaining before beginning my winter hibernation. Hopefully I can sneak in a few more artist dates that don't require down coats and gloves.
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