Mary's Art Starts in the Garden

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Closing My Eyes to See
May 2026

​I’ve never been a writer. I never enjoyed writing. I could never think of anything to write about. Writing was always a chore for me. My attention was always elsewhere. My mind would go blank if I were asked to write about something, anything. Sitting down to write without a trigger or mandate or title was the most painful and difficult for me. I would rather have been boiled in oil.

​The first time I wrote without resistance was in a college creative writing class. There, I wrote about the upside-down life I was leading as an older student with kids at home and an impending divorce. But I wrote in such a way that no one would suspect it was me since I created these characters with names and personalities very different than my own. They became stories rather than journal entries. I found writing about my life at that time to be cathartic, helping me make sense of what I was living through.

For the next 35 years, I didn’t write. Life was too hectic with major life changes, single parenting, and an intense career. That changed in 2006 when I began to write blog posts about the art I was creating and selling. A year later, I began a garden blog to share my knowledge of horticulture, garden design, and maintenance. I never thought that what I was doing was writing. I was just talking about my art and my garden, just sharing what I knew. Coming out of a sales and marketing career, it was natural for me to write about my work so people would buy it. I guess that’s why it didn’t feel like writing. I wasn’t telling stories or inventing characters and plots; I was just sharing information I knew. I wasn’t writing for an audience, even though it was posted on a public-facing part of my website.

Graphic Courtesy: Mary Ahern

​A decade later, after I started my blogs, I began taking some additional marketing courses which always included writing. This was when I first began to enjoy the act of writing, even though I’d been writing for years. Writing became a creative process for me that helped me to understand what and why I was doing things, how I was making decisions, and what my goals were. I did this by creating mini stories about how I thought and why I did things a certain way. I wrote these stories in a way that wasn’t me but an undefined someone. The story arc for these little stories: Once upon a time…and because of that…and then…and because of that...until finally.

Sometime later, I studied with another writing coach and began my daily journaling practice, which continued uninterrupted for the past five years. Each night before bed, I write about something that I saw, something someone said, or something that happened that changed my thinking over the course of the day. The general story arc for my journaling is: First, I thought this…then that happened…and now I think something else. This discipline has changed my life. I am now aware of moments in my day, the choices I make, and the ideas that float in and out of my mind. By writing about these transitions, the small and insignificant happenings of my day, my life has been monumentally enriched. I no longer have no idea what I experienced throughout my waking hours, since I’m paying close attention to what floats in and out of my daily life.

​Writing has become a way for me to engage in deep thinking. I haven’t magically become a novelist or short story writer, and I don’t have any aspirations to become one. I enjoy writing about real-life experiences, events, and things I see — not things I imagine. I love clarifying processes through explanations. I love the quiet place it takes my brain when I sit down at my computer to type my words. I often close my eyes when I’m writing at my keyboard. It helps me to concentrate and focus.

Recently, I started another blog on my website titled, “Studio Glimpses.” This came about from all the conversations I’ve had with my non-artist friends who usually ask the same questions. Since so many people seem to ask the same questions, I came to realize that people don’t generally understand the complex life of a working artist. It seems to be an endless curiosity for them, a mystery of sorts. Each evening, after I write my personal journal entry, I now write a short journal entry with photos about what my day as an artist entailed.

​As strange as it sounds, I am gaining more benefit from these Studio Glimpses posts than I imagined. My goal was to share the mysteries of creativity with others; instead, it has awakened in me a deep respect for the varied and intricate process of making things out of thin air. I’m not a Mary Oliver, a Jenny Holzer, a Joan Didion, or a Celia Paul. I am me. I write in the voice I speak with. I write as I think. I write with a mix of statements and descriptions, along with perhaps a related observation, a memory, or a speculation.

Mary Writing at Her Desk
Photo Courtesy: Mary Ahern

I feel a transition has occurred for me. As a creative person, I always felt that I understood and learned by seeing because I am a visual learner. Now, I find that I write by closing my eyes and seeing what is inside my head. My brain sees what I’m observing and my fingers type it. Because of this awareness, I have broadened the definition of my creativity. I am an artist and a gardener, but I’m also a writer. That definition has been a long time coming, and I’m happy to say it feels comfortable to me now.

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PREVIOUS INSTALLMENTS:
​2026
Finding Home, Purpose, and Feminist Community at Ceres Gallery
2025
Much More Than An Art Show: A Surprise Invitation Prompted the Documentation of My Life's Work
"Your Body Is Like Your Garden: Pay Attention to Signs of Distress"
"Walking on the Paths Carved by Centuries of Women Artists"
2024​
I’m Aging Gracefully by Finding Creative Ways to Continue Doing the Things I Enjoy
A Strategy to Embrace: Lifelong Learning
Awakenings in the Garden: An Artist's Journey
Women Helping Women: A Recipe for Success
2023
A Virtual Visitor Had Me Contemplating My Lifelong Career in the Arts
My Dual Passions

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