K Dawn
Photograph courtesy of K Dawn.
K Dawn is a mixed-media and abstract artist originally from Emporia, Kansas who currently lives in Pleasant Grove, Utah with her husband, their 12 year old daughter, and, she notes, an extra needy golden retriever. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Art History and Curatorial Studies from BYU ‘07 and a diploma in Residential Planning from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh '09. She writes, “I actually never planned to be an artist. My plan was to be an interior designer. That plan changed when I survived a stroke soon after finishing school. I lost a lot of memories, including things about myself like my favorite color. I was really confused and started searching for who I was. Thankfully writing and art still felt familiar, so I dove into them. I stuck with writing for a while, and then one day felt an urge to express some pent up feelings through a collage piece (that was in 2018), and I’ve just kept going.” She continues, "I helped design our modern house nestled next to the mountain. Even though I have neighbors, the placement of the house gives me a sense of the openness of Kansas. My favorite part of my house is my studio, it has the best view in the entire house and the space feels sacred to me.”
Moving slowly. I am not a morning person on any day of the week, and Sundays are no exception. I move as slow as I possibly can on Sundays, so slow that I don't usually eat breakfast. As I get ready for the day I listen to contemporary gospel music (which is a little piece of home for me). I usually get ready for church Sunday mornings, but it entirely depends on my physical and mental health. Sunday is a pretty solitary day for my family; we each retreat into our own worlds for some rest and realignment.
My ward. I go to church a few streets over from where I live, and I've never really had a congregation like the one I have now. For the most part people are really open-hearted and eager to learn. They've been really accepting of my family. This is the only ward that I've been in that I feel is really committed to my growth as a person, however that may look for me. It's also the only ward I've been in that doesn't make me feel like I have to be something or someone other than what/who I am.
Strengthening. The rest of the day is usually pretty quiet. My husband and I take turns on who cooks, so if I'm not cooking I'm napping. We eat dinner in the late afternoon most Sundays and talk about our upcoming goals and the week ahead. I really believe in community and family, and I'm committed to strengthening those relationships, so some of my Sundays are dedicated to that strengthening. Depending on what project I'm working on, I may venture into my studio, but creativity wise I like to take a break from work. I like to plan for my upcoming week by going over the meals I'll be cooking and planning what work I'll do on which days. Sunday evenings I usually call my mom and my aunt. For whatever reason, Sunday check-ins have become part of my family tradition. I also like to watch some of my favorite shows on Sunday evening: The Vicar of Dibley, Star Trek: TNG, Living Single, The Golden Girls, or Antiques Roadshow.
Rest and realignment. For me, Sundays are about rest and realignment. It's a day that I desperately need in order to keep my focus during the week. It’s meaningful for me to have a whole day dedicated to rest and realignment as I am not great at setting aside that kind of time during the week.