When my art speaks to someone, it feels like such a luxury. An embarrassment of riches, really.
I mean, the act of pouring mySELF out onto a blank canvas is so invigorating, so centering, so healing that I feel like I’m getting away with something. It should be enough {indeed, it is enough} to do something that brings me such joy and helps me express what’s in my heart. But to actually have people pay me for those creations? To hear from people who have been moved or motivated by my work? Well, that just feels too good to be true sometimes.
For the past few weeks, I’ve been in creative hibernation. I knew I needed something special to spark my spirit and force me back into the dudio. So, I signed up for Art Every Day Month {AEDM}, a yearly event developed by super-lovely Leah Piken Kolidas to challenge artists to create something every day in November and share it all online. AEDM plus the WildRuffle boutique show I participated in last weekend provided me with a swift kick in the pants. Just what I needed.
I shoved grief aside, I tried new techniques, I made mistakes, I made some magic, I found my groove, I listened to my heart. And each new piece felt like a little victory. Little did I realize, though, that I was creating little messages for myself, from myself.
At the show this past weekend, I was so touched by all the kind comments from customers, but one woman in particular provided me with a gigantic a-ha moment. She picked up a new painting that simply says breathe, and said, “Oh, I need to do this more – just breathe. How smart to create that reminder for yourself, too.” I’m pretty sure I just nodded politely, but it felt I was suddenly staring into the sun.
I know this may sound ridiculous, but until that moment I really hadn’t paid any attention to the words I’d included on my artwork in recent days. They had flowed out of me; without thinking or planning. They just came into being. As I looked over the new pieces on display, I realized they all featured messages I needed to hear.
Breathe. Believe. Every thing matters. Hope lives here. And this one…
