In 2015, she rolled eight miles in her wheelchair following a popular route of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit, or MARTA. On that rainy Friday, Jessica Blinkhorn, along with reporters from her community, stopped at all nine stations on the route. They were protesting the system, voicing their frustrations, demonstrating through wheeled action for the simple right to be included in the ability to ride public transportation.

Take a deep breath. Slowly inhale…one, two, three. Slowly exhale. Settle into your body. Now, I want you to imagine a time and space where you are free to be creative. If you had all the time and money you needed, where would you want to be to conceive that new series, start that new book, finish that painting?

I once read that we swipe our smartphones up and down on social media equal to the height of the Statue of Liberty—every day! While the thought of polishing a National Monument is mesmerizing, many of us feel like we’re wasting our time on social media, or worse, as artist Ellen Rutt (@ellenrutt) puts it, “We’ve scrolled endlessly into a zone of self-deprecating despair.”

Perhaps some of the artists out there can relate to my experience during the past 12 months. Some days I felt I had all the time in the world; other days, the thought of making art seemed frivolous. As the dim light at the end of the pandemic tunnel begins to flicker on, I’ve felt the urge to reflect on the work I’ve accomplished by encapsulating it into a written statement.

The PASEO 2014 official Afterparty is Friday, September 26th at 10pm at the Taos Mesa Brewing! Join us after the festival for music, performances, and drinks!