I just spent two of the HAPPIEST days playing in paint and paper and gel medium with this most amazing of teachers… so full of knowledge (which she shares most freely) and so very down to earth about who she is and what she has to offer. I was a little star struck for about five minutes, then it felt as though she were my next door neighbor come to play. And, oh my, what fun we all had!!
I’ve taken a TON of classes now… both online and in person… and the one thing I find over and over is that the superbest of stars (Judy Wise, Sarah Ahearn, Donna Downey, Sabrina Ward Harrison) are mostly just like you and me… trying to do something that provides a means of making ends meet and allows them to feel content and complete in themselves and the world around them. I think one of the things that draws me so much this type of learning (with its heavy emphasis on ART CLASSES) is that I’m continually searching for the formula that would make my life work in the way I want for myself. It’s not that I really want to be famous and I’m fairly certain my art will not leave any lasting legacy for humanity, there’s just something about the community that seems to gather for this type of work that somehow feels like home.
For now, I’m content to continue seeking – trying on different art styles, learning from different teachers; but, I’m starting to recognize the danger in spending so much time seeking that I have no time left over for actually doing or of being so heavily influenced by superstar teachers that I’m not sure who I even am as an artist. As a wanderer, it can be easy to get lost altogether.
After my first two weeks of retirement, the one thing I’m certain of is that I’m not ready to do nothing. I’m not sure yet how my own special skills fit into the bigger plan, but I know art has a role to play. Somehow.
The thing I have to remember, as a seeker/wanderer, is to take time to look on my own doorstep, to remember that the answer I seek is likely one I will find (eventually) right here at home.
Kelly,
So far I see two gifts God has given you…..1. The gift of writting, the second the gift of journal books. What if you put both gifts together, and wrote a journal book, with your art in it.
I would buy it.
Love
Johnnie
as would I…you are so talented in ways many of us would give their eye teeth for! how about some prints of those luscious journal pages finding their way to your Etsy shop??