A few months ago I shared with you “My Dream Come True Story” about how my photography was unexpectedly chosen to decorate Washington, DC-based Sibley Memorial Hospital’s brand new Integrative Medicine Department. When I visited the installation for the first time a few days ago, Harpreet Gujral, Sibley’s Program Director of Integrative Medicine and my new sister-in-mindfulness, welcomed me with her warm smile and compassionate presence.
Harpreet was the magic ingredient in this shining example of synchronicity. She discovered my artwork after finding my book Blooming into Mindfulness on the shelf of her local public library. The book doesn’t even mention my artwork, by the way, since the year I was writing the manuscript I was simply taking pictures every day as a mindfulness exercise to slow down and notice something beautiful in my midst.
There had never been a “goal” for the photography. I was simply showing up in response to a pull I felt to take on that daily challenge for mindfulness training. But here I was, walking into the waiting area of Harpreet’s new department feeling like a little girl on Christmas morning.
My heart skipped a beat when she said, “And here is your artwork, Martha.”
Not shown here is the video Harpreet took of me where my eyes welled up with emotion and I smeared my mascara all over my face. Fortunately the pieces are so big that you had to be far enough away to get the people and the pieces all in one frame.
Can you BELIEVE it????
Lotus Potential 40″ x 53″ and Lotus Unfolding 40″ x 53″
Speaking of “believing” it, the really fun part is that seeing the installation coincides perfectly with the content that I’m studying this month for my Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI) teacher certification program. It’s all about exploring what motivates us, since motivation is a trainable skill that can help us achieve our highest aspirations.
I’m learning to facilitate hands-on exercises that help students discover and articulate their core values, purposes, and priorities to understand what motivates them, and to then apply that awareness to clarify meaningful goals and aspirations. I realized that my art journey is a prime example of the effectiveness of these steps.
Martha and Harpreet with Tulip Pair 40″ x 50″
With close to a decade of daily mindfulness practice under my belt, I’ve sharpened my self-awareness to the point of knowing immediately when I am working in alignment with my purpose and when I am not. I got one of those whack-you-upside-the-head messages last fall when I was installing my work in a local dentist’s waiting room. I was hanging a large metal print of Ringo Receiving when an elderly woman waiting for her appointment exclaimed,
“Oh! Looking at that makes me so happy! I’m usually so nervous about coming to the dentist, but now I’ll look forward to coming back!”
In that moment my whole body tingled with validation that my photography was serving my personal mission and purpose: to reduce suffering and boost positive energy flows in the world by helping people connect with the present moment. For months I had been grappling with whether I had the time and money to invest in my photography endeavors while I was expanding my mindfulness offerings. The joyful expression on the woman’s face in the dentist’s office gave me my answer: my photography is a uniquely powerful mindfulness offering itself.
Mikayla Emerging 30″ x 40″ (not pictured is another exam room featuring Crocus Candy Stripe in the same size)
So, rather than resisting the work, I decided to embrace it in a way that targeted more clearly my sense of purpose. In my 2018 Goals blog post, I included this bullet point:
- Place my wall art in healthcare facilities to provide calming, joyful, healing energy (if you have contacts to suggest, I’d be grateful!)
I wrote and posted that bullet point with the rest of my goals months before I started my SIY training, which leads students through exercises to envision their aspirations, write them down for clarity, and then tell someone (as many people as possible, actually) about that vision. I nodded in recognition when I heard the SIY explanation that “these simple steps signal a willingness to get started towards goals even when there is no guarantee they’ll be successful.” When I think about it, this sums up my whole mindfulness journey (Blooming into Mindfulness tells the whole story).
Drip Drop, Raindrop on Grass Blade, and Nandina Jewelry, each 30″ x 40″
As Harpreet and I visited in her beautiful new Integrative Medicine Department, I asked if she had by any chance scrolled through past blog posts of mine and seen that I had announced this aspiration several months before. No, she had not seen it. Gear shifts must have started to turn somewhere, though!
The rewards have been multifold. Not only did my aspiration of having my artwork serve in a healthcare setting come to fruition (hopefully paving the way for more work in this area), but just as beautiful is the friend I have made in Harpreet. I am in awe of what she has created at Sibley: an optimal healing environment for community and staff. I look forward to following her work to provide holistic care for pain management and life style management through integrative practices.
And guess what? These and other images from my collection can provide the same calming, positive energy in your home or office space! Visit Damselwingsphotography.com to learn more and order. The pieces you see here are all mounted under acrylic, which is not yet listed as an option on my website (metal is my usual medium) but can be special ordered. If you have seen an image on my Instagram page that is not on my website, give me a shout and we can explore options.
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