I wasn’t always obsessed with butterflies. My fascination with the delicate/mysterious creatures started around the time my blog began (which happened to be when I was recovering from a major illness and some personal tragedies.) In fact, I was touch and go for a long time, struggling with Guillain-barre’ Syndrome, the subsequent IVIG treatments for recovery, the loss of a baby and the heartbreaking end to my marriage.
Back then, my fashion blog wasn’t just about what to wear, it was about how to style and navigate life; focusing on the mind, body and spirit. That’s when my butterflies came to me; more specifically, in my dreams. Matter-of-fact, for more than a month I had the same recurring dream of vomiting dozens and dozens of black butterflies. I actually wrote about it in one of my more popular blogs, “45 Days and Nights of Black Butterflies.”
I can’t lie, the dream scared the crap out of me as I thought it was about death, but after consulting a well-known dream specialist, she informed me that my black butterflies were actually a gift. Apparently, it was a sign of a very rare and powerful transformation. I took the dream in stride and hoped for the best, but then, something magical happened. I began that so-called TRANSFORMATION.
I didn’t know it at the time, but all the “Pieces of Me” that had been ripped apart: my body (which was ravaged by illness,) my heart (which was torn apart from the grief of not being a mother anymore) and my soul (which was empty from the loss of my first true love,) all started the long, slow process/journey of healing. I became a totally different kind of person. A person I didn’t really know anymore, but one I liked a lot better than the person I used to be.
As the months and years went by, I went through different phases of overt kindness, enhanced spirituality and a strong, sophisticated sense of self. I found deeper meaning in the little things I loved about life and relished, even savored, the bigger ones. I drew intense boundaries for my mental health and physical well-being and concentrated on building up my body again, while also learning to accept its limitations.
Read the rest of the blog at www.WSVN.com or shop the jewelry looks at Etsy.com/shop/ginablackart.
Twitter: @GinaBlackArt
Instagram: @GinaBlack_art
FB: Gina Black Art
A special thanks to the Sagamore Hotel
www.SagamoreHotel.com
Twitter: @sagamorehotel
IG: @sagamorehotel
Twitter: @ShireenSandoval
IG: @ShireenSandoval
ssandoval@wsvn.com
www.shireensandoval.com
Photographer: James Woodley
Twitter: @BritFloridian
IG: @BritFloridian
www.James-Woodley.com
Hair & Make-up: Odette Hernandez
Twitter: @Odettehernandz
IG: @Odett_herndz
Styling/Co-Producer/Assist: Jackie Kay
blog ideas: Jackiekay211@yahoo.com
Intern/Assist: Nick Martinez
Editor: Matthew Auerbach
MattAuerbach@yahoo.com