I'm A Little Bit Rusty
- Heather Boyer
- 13 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Yes, you are correct, this is NOT in English and you can't read what this says (unless, of course, you're Israeli)
So lemme back up, allow me to (literally) translate what this means - and what this means for me.
Today, as I type this, is Friday the 16th. One week and one day from now, on Saturday the 24th, in the trendy graffit-splashed Talpiot Market neighborhood in downtown Haifa, there's gonna be a Spring Art Fair.
And guess who's gonna have a table there?
YUP - THIS GAL
You have no idea how LONG I've waited to do something like this since my move abroad ....
.... or how freaking terrified I am to do this.
Here's why
Next month is the six year anniversary of my move.
SIX. YEARS.
And in that time, not a single art fair, class taught, gallery show - nothin'.
It's still crazy to me, even I write this. I never could have predicted that, especially when I'd been SO ACTIVE back in Ohio.
But, you know ... things got a bit weird. And some things were tougher than I thought.
COVID: I moved in June of 2019 - and Covid hit Israel in March of 2020, killing off all public events for at least 2 years
Self-employment: I focused on building a writing + marketing business to help pay our bills - plenty to keep me busy, and plenty important
Language: Learning Hebrew was harder and slower than I thought it would be. And I can't Google for things in English, and I don't know how to search for what I need in Hebrew, and I was terrified of trying to attend an event without speaking good Hebrew. Even the intake form for this event was all in Hebrew and I needed help from a friend to fill it out
Community: I spent years building up a network of friendships and knowledge of art locations and events in Columbus - which all became nearly-irrelevant the moment I stepped on that plane.
Fertility Journey + Baby: We started trying to have a baby at the end of 2021. In 2022, we learned there was something wrong, and started fertility treatments. And in 2023, we went through IVF and (amazingly!) conceived our son with our first embryo.
So ... yeah. That's a lot.
But I never stopped painting and sketching and drawing and craving and dreaming of having an art life here, too.
Finally, after starting (yet another round of) Hebrew lessons with a good friend from my old rugby team, I shared this with her.
"Oh I know a bunch of art stuff in Haifa," she said. "Hang on, I'll text you the links"
She sent me the link to this show.
It scared the pants off me, to submit to an art show with shaky Hebrew, and little more than quick personal sketches as new work over the past year.
But it was my first chance in six years to do SOMETHING.
She talked me through the Hebrew intake form. I waited through two quiet weeks of no reply.
And then - the email (in Hebrew, which I had to translate)
I got accepted.
Now I have to make this mad scramble - in the middle of motherhood, self-employment, and home repair issues - to pull this off.
But I can't even tell you the JOY it gives me - like this dormant furnace deep in my chest is finally being stoked back to life. I'm ENERGIZED in this fear and exhaustion.
It feels like a door finally opening - and I can't wait to walk in, to this and everything else it (hopefully) brings.
Can't wait to share with you how it goes :)
Loveyoumeanit,
Heather
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