Author Archives: sienamaria

How to Paint a Masterpiece

Turn the knob on the easel, easing the top ledge downward. Pause when it kisses the canvas. Adjust it one more millimeter and push the top left corner of the canvas to make sure it won’t budge. Stare at the whiteness and consider abstract art. Consider Jackson Pollock and formless splotches. Wipe your dry handsContinue reading “How to Paint a Masterpiece”

How to Start (and Stay) Journaling

I have encountered many people over the years who mention the practice of journaling in some form of the comment, “I’ve always wanted to start, but I can never keep up with it.” Or my favorite, “I have so much to say in my head, but I wouldn’t know how to write it down.” TheseContinue reading “How to Start (and Stay) Journaling”

River Road

[Reflections on home] The concept of “home” has always intrigued me. During the past month, I’ve experienced a brilliant collision of presence and home, and I’ve found that one catalyzes the other. Let me explain.  In high school, I believed home was this allusive place. I called it Elsewhere. During college, home felt halfway betweenContinue reading “River Road”

Small Frames

In June I had the pleasure of meeting a smell-the-roses type of human, which is more rare than you might think.  “Smell the roses” is a hackneyed phrase that my highschool English teacher strongly discouraged, but I’ve found that we, as a collective, hear those words more frequently than we actually think about or implementContinue reading “Small Frames”

Potentiality & Magic

This afternoon I ran into a long-time family friend who recently graduated from theology school. She’s a true Appalachian woman – 60-something, raised on a dairy farm, no nonsense haircut that hasn’t changed since she was five –  you get the picture. Looking at her, you would never guess that her house doubles as aContinue reading “Potentiality & Magic”

Limbo

After a four-year hiatus, I have decided to revamp the blog. It’s a decision born from creative impulse, yes, but it is also a response to the sense of destabilization that’s permeated life lately.  When I wrote my first post, I was a nineteen-year-old college freshman with bottle-blonde hair and a bad tan. I wasContinue reading “Limbo”