BENEATH THE SPARKLE
Pom 365 gives me a nurturing, healthy thing to do every day - even if nothing else good is going on.
When people look at my art, they think it’s for kids – they see animals and sparkles.
But there’s more to it than what you notice at first glance.
This project has saved my life. I started it a week before I ended up on the floor calling the paramedics.
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I’ve been navigating ongoing mystery health conditions, which has been taxing me physically, mentally, and psychologically.
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I have been doing a lot of work on myself internally, and I knew that if I could figure out a way of incorporating an artistic practice into my life every day, I would greatly improve the quality of my life. I just couldn’t figure out how to do it in a way that would be manageable and fulfilling for me – until I thought of the Pom 365 project.
Creating Poms daily means something positive and cheerful comes out of me every single day.
In the many months that I have not been feeling well and then learning about my heart issue, having an ablation, fixing my heart, but then still not feeling great – I could have easily become depressed. I was certainly incredibly anxious and missing my happiness and focus. This project lifted my spirits, gave me something positive to focus on EVERY SINGLE DAY, gave me joy, and spread it to those I shared it with.
It has inspired people – and myself. It has given me faith in myself and trust in myself – that I can weather some very tough times with positivity and strength. It has given me a deeper relationship with myself, it has given me a very positive, safe container inside which I could explore myself and my spirit.
And as nice as it’s been for me and my relationship with myself, it has also brought me close to my loved ones. They have been very positive, so supportive and encouraging, and genuinely inspired, happy, and sometimes surprised at my creativity. That makes me feel really good.
With each Pom I create, what comes out really is what’s inside me – that’s the core of me.
So even if my body’s been in pain – even if I spent the day speaking poorly to myself and beating myself up – I look down and see this creative character I’ve made, and I feel really good.
That hour(ish) each day that I’m crafting, sculpting, researching and writing playful bios, I don’t physically feel bad. My heart palpitations go away, my light headedness disappears.
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Sometimes I’m sick, and those days I’ve actually made the most positive poms. Here’s the Pom I made with my hospital bracelet after I returned home from having an ablation on my heart:
The Poms mark important times in my life.
I made Manny The Monster in the morning and ended up in the hospital that night. (That day I didn’t feel well, and Manny is what came out). And even though that was a crummy night, it was the first time I figured out what was wrong and started on the journey to fix it. And Acupomture was inspired by my own adventures in acupuncture.
One day I felt my privacy was being invaded and it pissed me off. I felt there were a lot of eyes on me. I did some research and learned a boxed jellyfish has 24 eyes. Behold #39 – Barry Johnson, the Box Jellyfish, otherwise known as B.J.B.J.
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I am often surprised and proud and relived that something very joyful comes out no matter how I’m feeling. It gives me faith and trust in myself – that I’m on the right path and that my spirit is good and strong because I can see and hold the core of my being in my hands every day I finish a Pom.