Hey, y’all! I know it has been a bit since I have posted, and I don’t want to make excuses like I have been busy in the studio or swamped with projects. No, I have intentionally stayed away from the blog and social media (just popping in long enough to wish a happy birthday or to check on an event). I guess my breaking point was about a month or so ago. My Facebook newsfeed was nothing more than one-pot recipes, political propaganda, complaints about anything and everything, advertisements for products gathered from my Google searches (cookies, but not the kind you need a recipe for), and suggested posts (based on things I have liked and my friends have liked). Enough was enough for me. I am tired of algorithms deciding my life for me and stats telling me whether or not people like my FB page, blog, and art. The hubby deactivated his account because he, too, has grown tired of the social media kingdom. **If you haven’t watched The Circle, stop what you are doing, pop some popcorn, and settle in for a great movie that will make you stop and think hmmmmm.

Now, am I fan of conspiracy theories, X-Files, Hunting Hitler, and The Curse of Oak Island?  Yes. Did The Circle make 1984 more wow than it has ever been to me? Yes. But, my suspicious nature is not why I have been avoiding my social media. It is the animosity, bitterness, and antipathy being generated on social media platforms that has me staying away. It is the sharing of “fake news” like really “fake news” and not the kind of “fake news” that news outlets are being accused of creating that has me turning more pages in books than scrolling through my newsfeed.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Facebook is a great way to keep up with family and friends (sort of–why not call them or text them or send them happy mail). Do keep in mind Facebook decides what you see in your newsfeed based on what you have liked or what you haven’t liked or whose FB page you visited or did not visit. Personally, I am not a nosy person. I don’t stalk friends and family on Facebook. I don’t wake up and start looking for status updates from my cousins or photos of someone I went to high school with whose daughter just got married to the next door neighbor’s ex-husband’s third cousin. I don’t generally comment on posts. Mainly, because I am awkward. My comments are usually like voicemails I leave. Rambles of nonsense in a weird voice that I have created just for voicemails. Facebook does not know these things about me. It just knows that I don’t participate in this or that, so therefore, I must not care about this or that. I care about a lot of things, Facebook. I just cannot take your constant watching of me and making decisions for me. If you must know, my favorite things about any social media platform are the baby animal videos.

I digress.

The title of this post says it all. “Do all things with more love.” Which brings me to my actual point. My new art series More with the first collection being More Love. *cue Jackie DeShannon What the World Needs Now*

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No not just for some but for everyone.

Lord, we don’t need another mountain,
There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb
There are oceans and rivers enough to cross,
Enough to last till the end of time.

To add a little modern twist–Lord, we don’t need another social media platform to keep us from actually interacting with people and society. There are posts and videos enough to see. There are hateful people and crime enough to overcome. Enough to last till the end of time. What the world needs now is love, sweet love and compassion. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. Yes, not just for the “deserving” or the “elite” but for every single person that God has created. More Love. That is what the world needs.

The More Love collection has been created as a way for people to give “More Love” to friends, family, neighbors, or even to themselves. I don’t want to give away too much today because I want to have a big reveal of “More” and how the series will work. One little crumb is each painting will come with a blank card meant for the buyer (giver) to write a short note on why there needs to be more love (serenity, mindfulness, hope…) to the receiver. Don’t worry. You can always buy a painting for yourself and write yourself a note on why you need to love yourself more or why you need to love your neighbor more. My goal is for the paintings (and the reasons why the paintings were purchased and given to someone) to spread love and positivity. Because that is what the world needs now. More Love.

Thanks so much for sitting a spell with me today while I rambled on like an excessively long voicemail from your mom. The crazy thing is I will have to publish this post and share it to Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Bless! *wink*

*p.s. My hope is that y’all will share this post and other positive posts filled with love to all your friends and family *big smile*