Take This to Heart, Please!

I am sorry if I repeat myself, but today I have only one thought that I hope everyone can take to heart. When I was in my late teens, I took an oil painting class from an excellent artist. My Sister was in the class also, she is an excellent artist with great attention to detail. If I remember correctly, I struggled to find a picture I was happy to paint, but eventually I settled on a lake with some geese on it. Not an exciting picture, but ok.

I got halfway through the class and was feeling frustrated and I did not enjoy painting the picture of the geese. At some point the teacher told me that I did not have the talent to paint and I should find something else to do. This happened primarily because I did not want to paint in the manner, he wanted me to. Like my Sister he was an incredibly detailed artist. Every blade of grass was excellent. I did not want to paint that detail.

So, I dropped out and set that painting aside to never be painted on again, although I held onto it for probably 20 years. What a waste.

In my 40s I joined a quilting group. Once again there was a wonderful artist who created lovely detailed quilts and embroidery. Her work was to be admired. Guess what I did not enjoy that type of work. I do love to quilt, but I want to create my own patterns, I do not want to follow someone’s directions. I am rebellious I suppose!

Any way that person in the quilting group and I eventually had to part ways as it drove her crazy for me to do my own thing and she drove me crazy criticizing.

I now know and appreciate that I have my own way to create whether it be painting, quilting, crocheting, whatever. So here is what I have learned. I should DO MY OWN THING and not worry about what anyone else thinks. Does it mean that everyone will like my work? Of course, they will not all enjoy it, that is ok. What it means is I can be happy creating what I want to create. I am not always confident about what I create, but I do know it is of me and that is the best I can hope for. I can continue to hone my skills and improve my techniques, but I must be me. I refuse to leave art again; it is a vital part of me and my world and that is as it should be. I know God calls me to be an artist, the artist he wants me to be.

Today I would like to give you the gift of permission. The permission to be who you are and create the way you want to create. Through this perhaps your passion will fill you and your spirit also!

Let me know if you have any thoughts or have had this experience. Unfortunately, too often we are told no in some form and it forms us.

This is my latest painting , "Ascension", just finished yesterday! I am pleased with it and it is available on my store. Guess what it has a lot of my kind of detail!