The word studio traces back to an Italian word meaning “study” or “a room for study.” It originates from the Latin noun studium, meaning eagerness, zeal, or pursuit, and the verb studere, to be diligent.

A studio is a place of applying oneself to something with a single-mindedness of focus.

When I began Dancing Owl Studio, I was exploring a side of me long buried. I began to work with paints and colors and texture, things that had little place in my former life as a computer programmer. I was diligent in my exploration of different mediums.

Along the way, I began to recover the part of me that loves words. I started to write poetry and poetic prose. I shared what I knew in writing and teaching. This eventually led me to embrace a vocation of deep listening: spiritual direction.

A studio is the working place of an artist. I have learned along the way that art takes many forms in my life; it’s not limited to painting or even creating something tangible. Dancing Owl Studio is home to the many art forms of my life.