A Ruby Slipper, a Word, a Wink: That's the Activation
How I know the magic has settled.
Most artists will tell you—it’s a feeling. A hum in the body. A quiet click in the heart.
But today, I want to unpack how the magic stirs for me.
I returned to this “finished” piece to add one tiny detail.
See the secret note drifting along the legs with the ruby slippers?
That, my dear one, is what I call an activation.
The visualists among us—the image-first, right-brained dreamers—may not have needed this red herring.
But many of us are also word-forward.
Language lovers. Clue catchers. Story spinners.
So let me ask—did your brain finish the sentence in my visual clue?
Did it summon the word home from the depths of your memory?
That was the invitation.
Zu is not a character outside of you. She’s part of the place within—the part you forgot you could return to.
That Dorothy moment, ruby slippers and all.
Adding that textual whisper cracked open more pathways for wonder.
More little doors to the feeling of finding your way home.
So, is it done yet?
My wand likes to ask:
Could it be just a little juicier?
Could I offer the apple on a golden platter?
If the answer is yes—then no, love, she’s not quite ready.
But when I can say, “No dessert for me, thanks—I am delightfully satisfied,”
Then the spell has settled.
And the piece is complete.