The Heart Wrenching Part

There is something absolutely heart wrenching about being an artist. Yes, the process of creating is joyful and amazing, exhilarating at times even. There is nothing like it.

But then you put yourself out there. Time after time. And it can be absolutely exhausting. Because it’s a little piece of your heart that has left you. And you are taking a huge risk by putting your (he)art out there for all the world to see. There is a letting go that has to happen. A releasing. Otherwise you will never move on.

Then the process starts all over again. Create. Share. Let go.

The brave keep going. The brave show up and put in the hours and sweat and tears.

The brave never stop doing the heart wrenching part.

I feel so honored to be learning under Lilla Rogers in her e-course Make Art that Sells. And this week she said something that just got me super excited.

Lilla encouraged us by saying, “Your talent is not finite.”

Your talent is NOT finite. And if you are willing to put in the hours and work to develop it, you never know how amazing of an artist you can become. This got me super excited. Because it takes the pressure off to be a certain way right now. I can be ok with where I am at right now. Becoming an artist is a journey and we are all at different points on that journey.

The possibilities are infinite…

I get excited just thinking about it. I know I keep saying that, but it’s true!!!

So here is my piece for our first assignment. It is a design for the bolt fabric market. I am really proud of it. I feel like I have fought hard to get to the place I am now in my art. And I can’t wait to see how it evolves more.

Vintage Kitchen

So if I could say anything to an artist who is just starting out and feeling unsure of themselves, just keep going. Keep creating. Keep putting yourself out there. You will keep getting better!!!

I just wanted to end this post with a picture of my very first mixed media painting, just to show you have very far I have come. I think it’s actually funny that it has some similar colors to the design I just finished. It’s hard for me to say that this painting is really amazing, and it’s hard for me to say that it’s really awful. Maybe it is awful. It doesn’t really matter. It is just the beginning of my journey.

my first collage painting