creative unearthing podcast with emma freeman

Today, I am reading one of my favorite poems by Mary Oliver called, "Sleeping in the Forest" and sharing some reflections on my connection to poetry during the pandemic and how nature is grounding me in my art practice. 

Sleeping in the Forest by Mary Oliver, written in 1978

I thought the earth remembered me,
she took me back so tenderly,
arranging her dark skirts, her pockets
full of lichens and seeds.
I slept as never before, a stone on the river bed,
nothing between me and the white fire of the stars
but my thoughts, and they floated light as moths
among the branches of the perfect trees.
All night I heard the small kingdoms
breathing around me, the insects,
and the birds who do their work in the darkness.
All night I rose and fell, as if in water,
grappling with a luminous doom. By morning
I had vanished at least a dozen times
into something better.

Emma Freeman, the host of Reflections from my art table, is a queer mixed media artist, teaching artist, designer and dreamer. Her art practice is experimental, playful, tactile and meditative. She works in many mediums including textiles, fibers, book making, cyanotype, drawing, collage, printmaking and illustration. She teaches art classes online, creates greeting cards, fabric collections, and fine art collections. You can learn more about her and see her work at www.emmafreemandesigns.com.

Find her on Instagram at www.instagram.com/emmafreemandesigns.