Have you ever just wanted to run away and hide?

Have you ever just wanted to run away and hide?

Not forever. Just for a little while. Until the world gets quieter and the list gets shorter and everything stops being so much all at once.

That’s where this painting came from.

An octopus, tucked inside a jar. Not trapped, hiding. Her seal friend has come to check on her, hovering just outside with that look. You know the look. The one that doesn’t need words but asks…

Are you okay?

And the octopus answers honestly, “I’m feeling overwhelmed.”

The octopus is me. Pretty much all the time lately.

The world is heavy right now. Like, genuinely hard to look at some days. And on top of that there’s personal stuff, and the art business, and the web design business, and the endless list of things that need doing. The overwhelm has layers. It’s not one thing. It’s all the things, stacked.

So I painted a jar to hide in.

But I think a lot of us know this feeling. The one where you’re not falling apart exactly, you just need somewhere the troubles can’t find you for a minute.

If that’s you right now, hi, me too.

This one is available. If she needs to come live with you, hit reply and I’ll send you the details.

I’m feeling overwhelmed, watercolor, 9×12