A Conscious Choice

Peaceful Sheep by Ronda Szymanski

“Whether you succeed or not is irrelevant, there is no such thing.  Making your unknown known is the important thing.”

– Georgia O’Keeffe

Hello all,

It is good to be back although I am arriving later rather than soon.  Life gets busy and it happens and it has always been difficult for me to follow through on my ideas.  It is hard for me to make my dreams a reality. That, I presume, is the reason I have started this blog three times prior to this present incarnation. But, please allow me use this humbling experience to enable you to know me better and to introduce you to my art and my ideas I have about the vision I call Zinnia's Way.

Zinnia's Way is a journey, to say the least, one that I am preparing to open up to the world and inviting all to come along.  It is a project of creativity and soul awakening, of art and agriculture and building community, strengthening relationships and opening hearts through service, art and goat yoga.

Have I mentioned that I speak in sweeping statements and over emphatic hyperbole?  Oh, well you might have noticed.

Zinnia's Way, the blog, is an exercise in finding my voice.  It is a platform to test my bravery and open myself to come what may.  I hope you find things interesting.  I hope you get my humor.  I hope I can paint pictures for you that move you to say, "Yes!" and not, oh well, I guess you had to be there. 

Zinnia's Way, our urban homestead, located in Greensboro, NC, is the 4 acre property that my husband Chris and I are working diligently to build, cultivate and grow.  It is currently home to two small gardens, one hard working herb garden, several expanding flower beds, ten curious chickens, one macho rooster, eight entertaining ducks, two feisty goats, two loving cats who love us dearly but only tolerate each other, acceptably, and one nudgy, excitable, friendly, protective, sweetheart of a  puppy dog named Margeaux, who burps. 

I hope one day to feature my art in a studio barn on our homestead.  I envision classes and workshops and shows and community gatherings there. That barn has yet to be built. I am currently working out of a small studio in our basement and exhibit locally, regionally and nationally.  I am working on a project that I call Art and Agriculture: A Creative Placemaking Experiment that will bring together local artists and artisans who share an interest in the rural heritage and value of our North Carolina region, who have an appreciation of agriculture, specifically small farms and locally made, locally grown products.  I hope to be able to facilitate various immersion experiences that will be made available to the urban and suburban residents of Greensboro and surrounding communities.

In the spring of 2018 Zinnia's Way will begin the immersion experiences with a series of Goat Yoga classes and farm receptions for the winners of multiple charity auction packages that were donated to raise funds for several local non-profits, including the Greensboro Opera, the Greensboro Symphony Guild and Family Services of the Piedmont. I am so excited about putting my yoga teacher training to good use and combining it with the ability to share our adorable goats with the auction winners and their friends.  Even more exciting will be the baby goats that we will add to our farm family in the spring. We will most likely have some baby chicks to enhance the "awwww" factor as well.  But the thing that I am above all most excited about is bringing and giving an experience of joy and happiness and laughter and peace to over 50 people in my city.

It is my hope to be able to offer goat yoga sessions to the Greensboro community this spring as well.  Plans are underway to make this a definite possibility. So if you live in the Greensboro area, check back soon to get more information and if it is a go, to register for a wonderfully unique experience in our own backyard!

On one final note for today, I hope you enjoy my "Peaceful Sheep" artwork that is featured at the top of this post.  It was exhibited in Harrisonburg, VA in 2014 at the VMRC Juried Multimedia Art Exhibition.  It was the winner of a Purchase Award and is now residing in the home of a lovely woman from New Mexico.  It is just one part of my art journey story that will continue through the pages of this blog in the days and months to come.

So, now I have made known to you a little bit more known of my unknown.  Hope you enjoyed it.  Share some of your unknown with someone today!  You never know what a difference you might make!

Peace to you all,

Ronda