Beauty Refreshers: Writer, Photographer, Gardener, "Noticer" Erin Nolen

Erin Nolen s one of the most intentional women I know. She's a wonderful photographer, writer, gardener, and "namer."  But she is also a wife, mother, and friend who's done lots of internal work to be present with and see and advocate for her kids and others. I asked Erin this question: 

What good do you want to bring to the world? 

I want to accompany people on the paradoxical path that going toward our stories of pain is actually the way to experiencing wholeness as beloved humans. I want to teach, show, and embody what it means, in the words of Dr. Hillary McBride, to “go toward what hurts.” In a culture that shouts at us to do more, produce more, experience more, I want to foster a community where we are safe to embrace our limits as fragile but intentionally complex image bearers of the living, moving, playful God. I believe our basic needs of safety, sleep, nourishment, play, time in nature, service, and connection are necessary foundations of what it means to live a beautiful and full life. Simply put, embracing our limitations and needs is the way toward expansiveness. I believe in the power of story work, that a good, kind, creative God pursues God’s people (all of them) and calls them (all of them) toward goodness and wholeness, and that we can know God more fully by honoring the brokenness and beauty in our one-of-a-kind stories. God calls forth goodness in me to offer to others through the means of writing, photography, gardening, and friendship. 

You can read Erin's essays here and follow her on Instagram and if you want family photos, she's your person. 

Beauty Refresher: Beth Smith, Potter

Beth Smith of Mudtown Pottery makes some of the most touchable, whimsical pottery. I asked her how she was drawn to pottery as an art form and what she wants to give to the world through it.

I remember distinctly my first pottery class (January 2017 at Birmingham Museum of Art) because it was way out of my comfort zone. I went by myself. It felt uncomfortable but also freed me to explore this craft uninhibited. I began this creative process in a depression. My children were finding their place in the world and my dear Danny had just lost his job of 31 years. I felt afraid of the future and unsure of how (and who) I was supposed to be in these new circumstances. I knew I needed to find a positive outlet and, while I did try a few other mediums, once I got my hands in the clay, I knew I had found it. I immediately signed up for a more intensive course at Cahaba Clay. I connected with my pottery teacher who was my children’s age and needed some “mother love” as she was away from home and trying to figure out life ( I was, too!), I found a heart friend in my class that has been a strong influence in my life to this day, I was able to focus on my creativity and the process of the craft and that really helped lift me out of my darkness. For reasons I can’t explain, I had an early vision of what I wanted to do with this interest and before I knew it, I had transformed our basement to my studio and equipped it with several wheels, thanks to my dad and Danny coming alongside and funding so much of the upfront costs. I am self-taught. Most of what I know I’ve learned by doing it wrong and making a great mess, but I have never been so discouraged that I wanted to quit.  

Pottery is an ancient craft. Because of that, most potters feel like they are picking up where others have already gone. There is very little that is “new under the sun.” There has been a lot of openness on technique and process from older, more experienced, ceramicists. I have the impression that the craft is what matters, not any one individual.

I have always been drawn to pottery because it feels like each piece has a story to tell. Recognizing that other hands have held, formed, painted, fired, sanded, and loved a vessel that I now cradle in my own hands feels like human connection to me, especially during this time in history where we are losing human connection in so many ways. As I make a pot, I imagine whose hands will hold this? Will they put flowers from their yard in this vase? How will they cook with this piece? I want to put that feeling in the world—that someone loved and cared about that coffee cup you use in your daily ritual, that there is a human behind that pot or vase, someone who considered how the glaze might react or how the handle might feel.

Pottery has taught me a lot about patience, resilience, and grit. But mostly, pottery has taught me to notice how we connect with each other; how our lives overlap and weave together, even in the smallest ways.

Beauty Refresher: Tricia Robinson Artist

"Thou Shalt Not Postpone Joy"

That's one of my favorite phrases and no one paints and lives that out like Tricia Robinson. Her heart pours out in her painting. Here are a few of her words and images:

"Painter of happy. Believer in whimsy. Seeing God's smile in the everyday."  

“The Four” (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba) by Tricia Robinson

"When I am happy in the wonky instead of the ‘glossy pages of perfection,’ then the magic happens! I can laugh in the middle of the hard and carry a song in the healing. . .

When the painted flowers on the canvas are lopsided and my dining room table is leaning towards the middle, I can smile. There is wonky in my face wrinkles and there is wonky in my hair cut. . .

When I let go of the ‘performance’ and the ‘have to’ and the ‘shoulds’ and the culture of ‘southern culture’ and just say, “‘his is me,’ I feel like a bird just released from its cage. . 🌸"

“Be” by Tricia Robinson

"I love to draw girls and dresses and houses and flowers, just like I did when I was eight. And it is still wonky. I love fashion design. Just like I loved as a teenager. But I love wonky fashion design like Gucci… mismatched colors and fabrics... so beautifully imperfect. . ."

“Freedom Butterfly” by Tricia Robinson

Tricia helps us shake off the dark days and live happy. You’ll love following her on Instagram.

Beauty Refresher: Ahmad Austin

I met Ahmad Austin at an InSpero’s Bridge Builders meeting and was struck by his insight and patience as we discussed the deep racial wounds in our city. Then I started following his Instagram and loved his ability to “paint jazz.” His work is filled with joy and color and emotion and the faces he paints are alive with hope.

This description comes from his artist statement: Built upon years of formal training, Austin’s personal style emerged when he picked up a palette knife and discovered a new artistic freedom that captured more emotion and energy than he ever experienced while painting with a brush. He loves painting to the sound of jazz legends like John Coltrane, creating pieces that capture the essence of jazz. “When I’m painting, it’s as if time doesn’t exist,” he said. Unwinding as he creates, Austin’s personality and his style are both relaxed. Yet, he uses quick strokes and scratching techniques that convey a certain energy that comes off the canvas. “I’m very easy going—maybe a little too much,” Austin said. “I think some of the emotions I hold back come out in my paintings.”

Austin’s work has been showcased worldwide from Italy to Ireland, and he is well respected in his home community of Birmingham where his pieces hang in galleries all over town. By day, he teaches elementary school students techniques to express themselves artistically, and he also teaches numerous classes live and online through his Palette Knife Academy.

Whether he’s painting a series of his signature musicians or a landscape, Austin’s work is a lot like jazz music—filled with a calming sort of energy that keeps people coming back to it. He plans to keep “painting jazz” and inspiring others to do the same for years to come. You can follow him on Instagram or Facebook and find his work on his website.