Embracing Transformation: Butterflies, Art, and the Power of Rebirth

Lauren Forbes

I had planned to tell you all about the incredible panel I sat on at the Beverly Hills Compass office and how much fun it was to share my experiences with other agents…but then, I made some butterflies and had to tell you about it! Last week I had the pleasure of visiting the Museum of Neon Art (MONA) in Glendale (yes Glendale!) to make neon butterflies—if you ever have the chance to visit and make some art there, I highly recommend it. But the reason I went there was more about the subject of the art than the art itself.

Many of you know I have a deep connection to butterflies. When my mother was dying of cancer we had the opportunity to discuss at length what it would be like for her to come visit me after she passed—and she decided that she would come back as a yellow butterfly…well…if you believe these things or not, I did at the time, and what happened afterwards really confirmed that belief. Subsequent to her passing, I saw yellow butterflies everywhere—usually just one at a time…outside in nature and also in print and on tv. Was it really her? Was it a mindset? Was it insanity? I honestly couldn’t care less “what” it was, because for me it was 100% love from the universe when I really needed it.

So…back to MONA…we saw that they were offering a class to make butterflies (a few weeks after Mother’s Day 💗) and we had to go. Making neon art—pretty much any art—is hard work! Especially for a left brain person like me. I was so stressed and wanting to do it “the right way”, that it gave me the opportunity to think more about butterflies and the transformative nature of them. Butterflies are the symbol of metamorphosis, hope and faith—of rebirth. I thought of how many times in my life, both personally and professionally, I have been at what seemed like a dead end. And like the cocoon of a butterfly, I was able to look deep inside and restart, reinvent, recreate ME. Having my grown “babies” living their best lives 3000 miles away invites me to do it again… And, with summer just around the corner, it seems fitting to welcome change and newness with excitement and wonder.

I hope you can take whatever is urging you to cocoon and use it to flourish!

Happy June!

- Lauren

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