CHAPTER 2

The Audacity of Gardening

Paintings 17-21 in My 100 Dresses

The Story

In March, 2023, I released a painting and poem titled “A Silent Symphony,” all about the brave steps we take that change our lives forever. Since then, hundreds of women have written to share their own beautiful stories of courage. This series was, in part, inspired by the audacity of those women to first believe change was possible, and to then faithfully do the work of growing that belief into something real and lasting.

— Prelude —

He looked away and scoffed, “Yeah, everybody has wild dreams, but realistically…”
How many times have I accepted “no” like this, I wondered. It’s the type of no that’s cloaked under friendly smiles and simple explanations while quietly clipping wings in the name of “reality.” Disguised as our friend, fear finds us as a child and consoles us after our first taste of bitter failure. And slowly, repetitively, rhythmically, that voice becomes our own, and we convince ourselves that clipping wings is not only practical, it is also what keeps us safe.
But in that moment, as others nodded in agreement and the shears of his words grazed my back, I heard an audacious whisper,

“Fly, my dear.”

Painting 17

"The Audacity of Hope"

The Poem

A rustling like wind,
a force unseen is moving, 
a voice
gentle and clear, 
calling you forward. 
You look down and within
your hand now lies a seed,
the glimmer of a dream, 
and with it, a faint whisper,
“Come, and I will show you how to garden.”
Suddenly the world crystallizes into a before and after,
what was now at
war with what could be.
To accept the call is to walk into darkness
where failure lies waiting,
hungry to pull you under.
And in that moment, you see the audacity of hope.
It is the small light
that defies the demons of the dark,
making no promises of safety,
only posing the question, 
“But what if something magnificent happens?”
- Andrea Jacobsen Poetry
Painting 18

"The Audacity of Belief"

The Poem

The danger with belief is
it arms the small, 
the overlooked,
the insignificant,
with courage and audacity
to step forward against the impossible
with steady resolve that
to fail in the pursuit of what could be
is far preferable over the acceptance of what has been.
So with each step, 
belief plants a seed of hope, 
and with it,
laying just out of sight to the present,
a future garden grows
rich and full
changing the very earth in the process.
- Andrea Jacobsen Poetry
Painting 19

"The Audacity of Faith"

The Poem

It’s in the mundane,
the day after day,
the unseen slow work
of watering and waiting,
that the fruit tree grows her roots down deep. 
And season after season,
as the rose bush blooms in all her glory,
weeds of doubt and comparison 
taunt the tree,
demanding answers in the late summer sun.
But the gardener continues his watering, 
gently reminding the tree that
roots last longer than petals,
for it’s the audacity of the tree’s faithfulness 
to grow slow, 
one ring at a time,
that she becomes a pillar 
tall enough to host morning symphonies
and strong enough to last for centuries.
- Andrea Jacobsen Poetry
Painting 20

"The Audacity of Growth"

The Poem

I walk through the orchard and wonder,
How did this come to feed so many?
Suddenly I see it;
these are the ones who have been pruned,
not once
not twice
but a thousand times 
over a hundred different moments 
when the promise 
of comfort 
tempted them to settle, to give in, to give up.
It was in the rainy seasons,
the terrorizing storms
they were tested with a thunderous question,
“How many times will you dare to fight back?”
And time after time
they took the pounding of the rain
and watered their roots,
they accepted the pruning of their branches
so they could make room for more fruit,
and with pure audacity 
they grew
just a little bit taller.
- Andrea Jacobsen Poetry
Painting 21

"The Audacity of Love"

The Poem

To grow a garden,
it will take all of you.
You must give 
your time,
your tears,
your weary hands
and your hope.
All must be planted,
first with the belief that new life will grow,
then faithfully watered
and painfully pruned.
And when your time has come,
and you fade into that last golden lap,
a field of flowers and a forest of trees will remain
covered in your finger prints,
blooming each spring
and singing each fall.
Yes, the audacity of love
is that it will convince you to grow a garden
for the those who will
never know the toil it took
to bask in the perfume of flowers.
- Andrea Jacobsen Poetry

A letter from the Artist...

Like many of you, this series is personal. Although I have my own story of stepping into the unknown, I also am the person who benefited because of someone else’s bravery. I am the child of cycle breakers, meaning I have lived most of my life in a garden I did not plant. And although I will continue to grow the garden I’ve been given, it is not lost on me that my children and grandchildren will only ever know life with flowers because my parents dared to believe in change. This is what audacity looks like; a lifetime of choosing to give for the sake of others. It is the belief that despite the persistence of evil, lasting change for good is possible. And then, most importantly, to faithfully do the work of gardening.

We all have dreams that are waiting for the chance to grow. Be audacious; plant the seed. Something magnificent might happen.

- Andrea Jacobsen

Before you go...

I would love to hear from you! Leave me a note about your story and experience with “The Mercy of Rain”
All my love,
Andrea