It's the Tiny Things - The Magical Minnesotans
The state of Loons and the Lady Slippers ✨
I’ve felt a little powerless when it comes to politics - probably since 2017 if I’m being honest. I’ve avoided raging about it online. Instead, I pour that anger into my art. Art that suggests there is a place in this world for all of us. Art that believes if we listened to our intuition more, we’d build a world full of fulfilled humans.
There is so much negative news, I felt I wanted to be a bit of light. A break from the darkness. But it seems we have reached the tipping point. That occurred as we watched people being grabbed on the street and others killed for trying to defend them.
I’ve watched so many videos of people in Minnesota sharing their personal accounts of what is happening on the streets.
I stumbled upon some posts from a reporter sent to Minnesota (@margaret.bsky.social)
It made me smile reading: “a winter people.”
And, “She didn’t even have a hat on.”
As well as, “I’ve never seen a population more united.”
There are so many more of us than them.
And sure, sometimes we feel helpless and hopeless.
Until we all stop being quiet and speak up for what is right. When we call out what is wrong. Because when we do, even in magical places, we all feel strength in community.
I dropped all my regular work on Monday and made this. It is the Minnesota state bird - the loon, and the Minnesota state flower - Lady Slippers. I was so inspired by the people of Minnesota and how they continue to show up.
I didn’t expect the response. Messages, blessings, and tiny notes from Minnesotans. All the heartfelt words. Many asked to buy the print. I listed it in my shop and each sale will contribute to a charity on StandwithMinnesota. For the first time in a while, I didn’t feel helpless. I felt what one small action can do. How art travels. How it reaches. How it connects us all.
Art matters right now. It keeps people from feeling invisible. It gives language to what we witness. It reminds us we are not alone.
I hear artists asking: How can I make art right now? How can I be creative in times like these? Take what rages inside you and channel it into your work. That is what you are built for. You may worry about polarizing people – but when something lives fiercely in you, it lives in others too. Your work becomes a signal flare. A bridge. A mirror. And each of us has a unique way of expressing it.
Some family members may not understand. Some people may resist or deny. Still — share what is true for you. Maybe a crumb of what you share will sit with them. A crumb they can’t quite brush away. Let the crumbs build.
When we all share how we feel, it connects us to those who feel the same. It makes them feel seen. It makes us stronger in numbers, and suddenly, it is power. It is the strongest power in the world. It’s love.
This week my Tiny Thing(s) are the Minnesotans. The winter people. But they are not so tiny, but more mighty.
Until Next Time 🌙 ✨
Kim
P.S. Please leave a Tiny Thing below from your past week.
P.S.S. This note (more lovely Minnesotans).
I thought I might share some art from my fellow artists. We all need a bit of beauty and a laugh. ✨😊
Today I will be taking the day off. Thank you for being here in community with me. 💛
Beautiful. All of it.
The Twin Cities is my hometown. While I live far away from there now, the cities are never far from my heart. It's been really hard to watch what has been going on there. Art is my outlet, my expression and my resistance.