rubyroth (@rubyroth)

Rrubyroth
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A Shift — So, something happened. When I left LA earlier this year, I was calmly, neutrally pissed—if that makes any sense? I was frustrated that no matter how hard I was working, networking, and achieving goals, nothing was moving the dial on my career. It seemed like “crickets” no matter what. I decided to go small, and return to Kauai, where I was raised. I had saved enough to slow down and focus on my craft for awhile, instead of on sales and marketing. I focused on a few colors and a cohesive set of pointings that matched in style and content. It took the rest of the year, but I had a small show in a local gallery, and shipped a clutch of paintings to Miami where I was represented at the art fairs for the first time. In my head it was just another investment required to keep going. But lo and behold, to my shock, I ended up selling at both shows. A good bunch. The most I have ever sold through galleries before. I’m still so close to it that I can’t elaborate much more than this—it can’t be a coincidence that when I stopped focusing on money and started focusing on my craft (and making time for some sunsets, bike rides, and a love adventure), SOMETHING shifted in the tiny little blip of the time space dimension that I exist in. I’m not saying my life is radically changed, but the shift is significant. The moral: alllll that advice that others gave me previously for yeeears, to do what you love, have fun doing it, and see what happens…seems to be IT. At least it’ll keep me going a little while longer. 🖤
Rrubyroth
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Fall Recap — It’s a feminist lie that you can do it all. I do a LOT. My days are packed—with emails, working on designs for clients or alternatively painting, calls with gallerists, texts with curators, archiving, making lookbooks, scanning, framing, updating my social media, and often helping run my guy’s vacation rentals here, on top of fitting in a personal call, usually with this or that friend going through a crisis. More often now, I even give into taking a cruise with my guy to check the surf at some point in the day. I run to a gallery. I go help on my parents’ farm. There’s action and progress on all fronts. And YET. Some devil, dirtbag, ego-centric entity inside me whispers, “But you’re not expanding your print business. You should be at DCon this year. You’re losing your place in line...” Seriously. Every time it comes up, I remind myself that RIGHT NOW I’m serving values OTHER than just being a production and networking machine, okay. I’m serving the practice of my craft, the expansion of my comfort zones, I’m serving love, elders, community, my clients, my man, a loving relationship. You can not ever do everything all the time at once. I always say, if I’m in the zone painting, there’s a sink full of dishes. And if my kitchen is clean, I’m probably procrastinating painting. You can’t do it all. But you can be INTENTIONAL about what it is you’re doing, and be certain that what you’re doing is of value.
Rrubyroth
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Blue Hawaii —- Series in progress, see where it starts and where it goes. Not finished yet though!
Rrubyroth
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Profile prompts —- If you’ve ever set up an online dating profile, you know the cliche prompts—“Your perfect Sunday is…” I finally landed on one: Early morning lazing in bed, my man behind me, a Future of Consciousness workshop in my ears, and a notepad at my fingertips.
Rrubyroth
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August Recap — Painting, painting, painting in an emerald green palette, inspired by the lush green density that is Kauai, Hawaii. I sold my first piece here on the island, the woman with the waterfall (details shown here). And I’m working on my family’s farm solo-mishing the picking, drying, and husking process myself. It’s hard, back breaking work, but I love it.
Rrubyroth
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July Recap—Late! — Is everyone facing an abyss of the unknown right now? It seems universal—personally, career-wise, home-wise, spiritually, politically, etc. My abyss—I am still on the island I was made and raised on—an experiment that started in April—but I have no idea what’s next. Cheerios are $8.99. Tech billionaires and digital nomads have taken over here, driving prices up on everything and almost fatally destroying the housing market. My guy, who has rented the same home for 8 years, got notice that his landlords are selling, upheaving the safety net of this experiment. While we figure out our next chess move, and whether we can stay on the island we were made/born and raised on, I’ve placed 8 new paintings in a gallery here—the emerald green collection of goddesses and landscapes. They are at O Hanalei if you happen to be around. :) There are two more monochromatic black and whites at Vertical Gallery in Chicago, both continuations of my “Midnight in the Hills” series. Prayer’s has sold, Resting is still available. These women are solitary, communing with nature and building inner strength from the power ones gets by realigning with the energy of the earth and our inner worlds, our highest values. To me, they are altar pieces—visual reminders of the importance of ritual. In an abyss of the unknowns, the medicine is attunement, practiced in quiet space.
Rrubyroth
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June Recap —- Not angry at 42/midnight in the hills series addition/ monochromatic painting for a group show in Chicago/how do I look with a baby (neice)?/back to the island.
Rrubyroth
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New Adventures —- I’ve gone back to L.A. just to pick up some more clothes and art supplies. For the time being it’s medicine to be away from the hamster wheel that is that city. I accept that sometimes there’s a season to retreat and work on one’s craft in silence. And without spotlighting any progress. Highly recommended. 🖤
Rrubyroth
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What’s Really Happening Pt II —- It’s been about a month. A break from the grind and hustle of Los Angeles. I am on an island, working, but on some freelance art gigs. It is good to be away—from the pace and constant buzz of productivity, competition, making, networking, appearing, scheduling, cramming in as much as possible into a day. There’s an idea that I could actually become more successful by leaving it behind. There’s a chance that I might exist better in a small community where people support each other the way I like to support people I am connected to, too. There’s a chance that slowing down and living more simply is worth the space it makes—room for adventure, play, love, intimacy, and partnership; room to put my hair down and get a little dressed up, to cook full meals, to feed and be fed; room to take a few minutes break to wait on the steps by the door ‘til he walks through it; to make my body feel good. It’s not popular—especially amongst many other women—to choose “less,” to choose love over career, to risk “not becoming” by choosing domesticity. Silence, side eyes, raised eyebrows and head shaking. But what these folks are missing is that they live in fear of losing themselves, instead of living. There is much more to gain if you trust yourself, trust that all outcomes are okay, that actually, no one can take anything from you—if you take on an attitude of gains. What’s happening right now is that I will keep moving toward what feels good, rather than what’s popular, or even “acceptable”. It’s a process, a clearing, an exercise in trust, in my instincts, and intuition. I like it…I feel like a woman.