Why getting my hands dirty in the garden feeds my creative process...
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Since much of my artwork is about the human connection to mother earth, I love to get my hands in the dark humus every spring and work the soil with tender loving care, adding organic nutrients, compost, and this year for the first time, biochar. Biochar is wood that has had the wood gasses burned off, leaving pure carbon behind. My husband and I inoculated the biochar with fish emulsion, compost tea and acid to neutralize the base PH. The biochar acts as a nutrient and water retention sponge in the soil. It does not break down and thus sequesters carbon in the soil, keeping it out of the atmosphere where it would otherwise contribute to global warming. We are excited to see how this impacts our vegetables this year!
I believe that in contemporary culture the constant use of computers, mobile devices, tablets and other digital devices causes a disconnect from the real world around us. To foster creativity, one needs to unplug and reconnect with the natural rhythms of mother earth. There is a spiritual connection to the greater cycles of life in preparing the soil, planting a tender seedling and nurturing it to grow big and healthy. Working the garden is a family affair involving multiple generations. These connections are rejuvenating and fires up my creative drive.
