Okay Blog-Let's give it a go- Epiphanies Anyone?

I CAN DO THIS- That's been my mantra from the start.

I CAN DO THIS- Through the many no's from galleries that every artist deals with and It's a lot of NO's. Especially if you are really apply yourself.

I felt like I had a lot of catching up to do after taking almost 10 years off from the art world to raise my kids. 10 years can pass quickly and quite unnoticeably. What was my moment of motivation to get back in to the game? It was two moments actually just a few days apart back in the summer of 2005. My husband and I were sharing a significant birthday milestone and I had decided to paint back drops as decoration for the tent set up for the party in the backyard of our house we moved in to a couple of years earlier. A beautiful old 1880's rambling Victorian I had lovingly been working on whenever my kiddos were napping or later off at school.. That kept me busy and thinking this was enough to satisfy my creative needs. Working on the house. Kids and House. That was my life for 10 years. But I digress...Back to the backdrops. My husband is originally from South Africa so I decided to paint in the style of the Ndbele who highly decorated the exteriors of their homes with painted patterns that tell the story of each household's journey through life. As I sat on top of a ladder painting the backdrops in my until that moment unused studio, I had the sudden realization of how happy I was at that very moment. A happiness I had not acknowledged I was missing for a long while. The second moment occurred later at the actual party when a new neighbor asked what I do. I said I was an artist and she asked where I showed. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I don't show. I haven't shown in 10 years. How can I say I'm an artist? You're a fake!. You're a fraud selling a story that isn't true anymore. Well! That was my big wake up call! DO IT! DO IT NOW or admit you are not an artist. You're creative but not an artist. I haven't looked back since.

I mentioned all the no's from galleries. How I got in and how I began is for the next chapter. Stay tuned!