Unraveling
A couple of days ago I had this feeling that I was overdue for an email to you. I think it was because in recent months, my website has attracted many new subscribers, making me realize that my work is growing new roots. I want to welcome all the new followers and friends and thank you all for taking the time to read my thought meanderings.
I’ve finally settled back into life in South Carolina (my home since 2014). Earlier blog posts have some of the backstory about the struggle to find my place here after being a Northerner for most of my life. In fact, the Migration Series, where I embedded stitch after stitch into stories of the transition emerged as my coping tool. Transition was happening everywhere for me.
The last nine years have seen my personal shift from one threshold to the next. Within that arc, one daughter and husband moved to South Africa and had two children. My older daughter and her family moved back to the US then back to Israel, again. My maternal pendulum swung from California to South Africa with intermittent touchdowns in South Carolina. No regrets. No roots.
Growing roots in my adopted place has been hyphenated by trips to South Africa, some of which lasted seven months. Covid presented obstacles for getting back to South Carolina as well as entering Israel to soothe the other part of my world. These failed plans led to artwork about the synchronicity of circumstance.
In February, 2023, we returned from South Africa for the last time. The Durban family expects to be back in the US next year. Long overdue, this shift defines the shape of this chapter. Crossing the threshold from these years of travel, my attitude has shifted from ‘where will I be when?’ to ‘be here now.’ Being away from the inspiration of objects I’ve gathered and the respite of quiet time to ponder “what next,’ shifted my resolve to digging deeper into the soil of South Carolina, to recover a feeling of belonging.
I took out my thick black sharpie and wrote large on a recycled grocery bag. I am mapping the chapter ahead. The list has to be simple and realistic while leaving room for dreams.
Flight turns into focus as two distinct columns on the paper that position what I love to do merges with my intended desire and purpose.
As Hope Jahren says, “The seed knows how to wait.” I have no excuses to postpone the planting of my spirit in this patch of land. South Carolina offers a spectrum of color and story yet undiscovered. In two shorts months, my brown paper map is unfolding in new directions, allowing opportunities and work to shape with new clarity. I am here to imagine the next steps in the journey. I hope you’ll grow along with me.
In celebration, I am offering my virtual workshops at a discount until the end of May for you or a creative someone you love. Please visit www.roxannelasky.com/workshops to redeem with the following coupon codes:
For self-guided PDF Courses use: THRESHOLD10
For One-on-One Creative Mentoring: MENTOR10
