An Integrated Life


Lotus Flower in Pond
photo by Angela Marie Morton

Integrity:

1. the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles

2. the state of being whole and undivided


Integrated:

1. desegregated

2. with various parts or aspects linked or coordinated


For the past several years, I have been honing my craft as an artist and illustrator, and putting my work, and myself,  into the public sphere; tentatively at first, and now with more assuredness. Before I committed anything to virtual posterity, I took time to research best practices. As with many aspects of creativity, marketing, too, is subjective, and everyone has their own preference and level of comfort regarding how much they want to put on public display. 

Until fairly recently, I had debated about whether or not to separate art-related content from everything else I choose to make public (interests, political views, spiritual practices, etc.). Ultimately, I opted to let the proverbial peas and mashed potatoes touch, and to post or write about anything I am inspired to share, and let the chips fall where they may. I am selective, and definitely do not live my life on full display for an audience, and lean more towards an intuitive, rather than a hyper-calculated, tactic. Self-promotion is a skill, and it does not come naturally to me, but I have learned that not overthinking it or taking myself too seriously, and tending towards a more spontaneous approach, makes it less odious and even a bit fun.

Perhaps, someone who likes my art and purchases something from my shop (thank you!), also gets curious about the person behind it and starts following me on social media and begins to reads my blog regularly. Or, a person who follows me on Bluesky because they are passionate about veganism and enjoys the simple recipes I promote for the Capsule Kitchen series on my blog, decides to show their support by visiting my shop, and buys an item or two. In both instances, a small connection is made between two real people which, I think, is the most important thing, especially in our current, faceless, consumer culture.

Living a fully integrated life feels balanced and comfortable, and I much prefer curating for public consumption, rather than segregating all the parts that make up the whole. The same person who reads spiritual texts, practices yoga, and believes all living beings are connected, is the same person who advocates wearing masks during an ongoing pandemic, deplores violence, and is a vegan, and is also the same person who drinks coffee, adores the Muppets, draws Japanese-inspired pieces, and creates cute, cozy characters. We are all multifaceted and complex, and have more to offer the world than one small piece of what makes us a complete being.  

My rationale and philosophy regarding how I choose to promote my art may not be optimum for branding purposes, or as a marketing strategy (or maybe it will prove to be, who knows?), but I can live with that. I am playing the long game with my art and illustration practice, and living a fully integrated life is the most sustainable option for me.

Next month will feature a recipe for my Capsule Kitchen series, though I am still deciding what it will be. If you are looking for inexpensive, simple, vegan meal ideas, you may want to check back here next month! You can also see all the recipes I have posted so far here. 


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