There once was a girl, who lived in the woods, in a nest on the tallest of treetops…
Through parable and environmental sculpture, Girl in the Woods is an ongoing body of work that explores my personal journey through the lens of yoga philosophy and nature-based sculpture. Central to the story is a woodland character named Timberella.
Timberella One | Jodi Rose Gonzales
In the opening scene, Timberella is a young girl who is blown from her nest during a great storm. She awakens on the forest floor: frightened, lost, and naive.
Timberella is used to the view from the treetops, and the forest is an entirely new scene. She begins to wander, interacting with various forest creatures who impart their wisdom teachings.
Parable One: The SongBird
Dear little bird, why am I meeting you? To what extent are you part of this story?
“The littlest birds sing the prettiest songs. It is the gift we are given in this world: to sing.
People are like that, too. They are born with gifts. Gifts and talents they are meant to share. These are not always obvious gifts, like athletics or art—they are gifts of loyalty, compassion, integrity, qualities of character. Each gift is of equal importance.
“No gift is more important than the next. But our world teaches people to believe that isn’t so. And also, sometimes life happens—something that makes people lose touch with their gift and therefore their voice.
I am here to remind you that you have a gift, you have a voice, and that you matter. On some level I know you know that, because you are searching, because you are hurting.
The litte girl dropped her chin and began to weep.
“I feel so lonely,” she said.
“I know you feel alone,” said the songbird. “But you are not alone. You are not alone in the big mysterious world, for all things are connected, and you are connected to things that are far greater than yourself. That is why you are given your gift, because you are intended to share it with others.
The little girl looked thoughtful.
“How will I know what my gift is? How will I know when it’s time to share it with others?”
“You have to trust, to believe,” said the little bird. “You have to find a little light inside of you that shines. It always shines. It shines bright like the sun. It is here, within this light, that your gift is held. It is less important right now for you to know what that gift is, but more important to know that it exists. Trust that it exists, and you will find it.”
And with that the bird sang a sweet song, and flew off into the distance.
Songbird | Jodi Rose Gonzales
The songbirds are a series of small sculptures comprised of seed pods, jewels, pine cone parts, and other found objects.
They represent the various matriarchs who steered me correctly, throughout life.
In the Girl in the Woods series, the first three Timberellas are depicted with a bird, and a key. The keys represent the wisdom imparted by the songbird.
Inside the 8 Keys mini-course you’ll find audio meditations, fourteen art prompts, a practice guide, and additional resources to support your art-based mindfulness practice. The 8 Keys is FREE and housed inside Jodi’s app, True Natured Creatives. Available in your Apple or Google Play stores, or explore it online here.
Jodi Rose Gonzales ATR, NCC, ERYT, YACEP is an artist, art therapist, author and yoga teacher who helps creative people unlock their full potential. Get her free mini-course called Creative Freedom: Eight Essential Keys to Inspiration, HERE.