Spring Beginnings and Endings..
Happy Springtime!
I hope you are feeling optimistic and supported at this pivotal time in history. There is so much going on within our lives as well as in the world: Here in Appalachia, we are still recovering from the destruction of Hurricane Helene that ripped through the mountains with wind and rain, on September 26 and 27, 2024. Thank goodness for the recent rains that helped put out the remaining forest fires across the region. Yet so much is going on globally, with earthquakes, flooding, tsunami’s, wildlife extinction, melting icecaps, political unrest, inequality gaps expanding.. it is so much! And this email is not to overwhelm you, but to offer some upliftment.
How can we continue to cultivate hope, joy and wellness in our lives at this time? How can we maintain good health and positivity? What can we do to help?
These are questions I ask myself every day, which is why I spend a lot of time in prayer and serving others through prayers, community service, and evaluating how I can be of better service on the planet. I have faced my own challenges in the past few years, losing my father two years ago and my beloved, furry, best friend, Baloo six months later. Now, I am reevaluating my career choices and future path in life. Reflecting on my recent birthday, I have realized that my goals and passions involve serving and supporting people and the planet. The recent struggles have brought some doubt in my jewelry work, and I’ve been contemplating whether I need to shift careers. My passion is to inspire you through my expression of worldly beauty with authenticity and connection to spirit. I see that adorning ourselves through these difficult times is so important to maintain a grounding into our truth of self-worth and self-love, to keep ourselves protected and connected to objects of the earth that have been made with prayer and deep reverence for the ways of nature. I want to continue in my creations of these powerful objects of adornment and the hurricane honestly hit me financially harder than I could have imagined. I know many of you might also be struggling right now with varying levels of the world shifting very quickly, so I hope that you can let yourself be inspired by my words, story and work. I aim to inspire hope and offer a fresh perspective on the possibility of building a world founded on authenticity, creativity, connection, and reciprocity.
Some changes are in the pipeline for where I sell my work in downtown Asheville. After 9 years of selling my work at Woolworth Walk, I have been asked to leave without any explanation from the owner. As a result, I am now exploring new opportunities of how to promote and sell my jewelry. It has been quite a confusing path in the past few years so if anyone would like to offer me any words of encouragement, that would be uplifting.
This spring, I have events where I’ll be selling my work. Come by, check out my new pieces, and adorn yourself to reaffirm your self-worth and beauty despite the world’s challenges.
Weaverville Art Safari, April 26 & 27, 2025, 10am- 5pm both days
21 Young Rd. Weaverville, NC 28787
For more information; https://weavervilleartsafari.com/artists/jl-merrill-metalworks-julie-merrill-2/
54th Annual Spring Tennessee Craft Fair, May 2- 4, 2025
Centennial Park, Nashville, TN
For more information; https://tennesseecraft.org/events/craft-fairs/