Carnival Girls

Hello lovely people!
Here she is, 'Dancing Delilah',  the painting I gave you a teeny little peak of on my last post. I had been holding onto this idea for a couple of years now, and I finally thought, enough!  I've always loved the gaudy glamour of carnivals since I was a child, and wanted to create these dolls/puppets, on a faded and shabby background.

Why did I wait so long you ask? well, I was plagued with the usual doubts of 'I'm not good enough yet'. You know, that negative voice in your head that is forever trying to hold you down.  That tells you to wait until you are a better painter/ artist/ writer, etc... Do you know what happens when you listen to that annoying voice, and don't create the thing you desire to create? Someone else beats you to it. That's right, and then you think to yourself  " I can't do it now, everyone will think I copied from so and so'.

This is not the case with these carnival girl paintings, but it has happened to me in the past when I've been holding onto an idea until I felt ready, and then one day noticed another artist doing the same thing. It can be very frustrating, and you feel deflated. 
I guess what I want to say is don't wait until you feel good enough. Just get your creativity out into the world, who cares if it is not perfect! Who said our art needs to be perfect anyway? I know I will never be fetching millions of dollars for my work, I simply do this because it is in my soul, and I can't imagine not creating. I do it because it is fun, and fulfilling. If others like my work, that is a bonus.

Creating should make you feel joyful and alive, not scared of making mistakes.  Put love into everything you do.  The world needs you to be who you were meant to be. No one else can do this.
Each one of us is a One-of a-Kind creation, so lets stop beating ourselves up over our perceived flaws, and celebrate them!

Thanks for reading

A little bit of Sunshine

I felt refreshed after my vacation, and after settling in for the last couple of weeks, it is time to get back to business. I have online classes to get caught up in, illustration Friday challenges I would like to take on, and with Halloween and Christmas coming quickly, I must fill my Etsy shop.

Right now there are so many ideas in my sketchbook, I don't know which direction to take. Please tell me I am not alone in wanting to try many types of art. Sometimes I feel like I should focus on developing one recognizable style (not that I can see that happening any time soon, lol!). Since I can't focus on one thing, I noticed a lot of distractions popping up...it seems like there is always something that needs to be taken care of before I sit down and work. The result is not much art being done at the moment, and of course, guilt shows up.

Art can be a sanctuary, a way to leave the mundane world, and live somewhere beautiful, if only for a brief time. I know there are a few of you feeling stressed right now because you can't seem to find time to create. There will always be distractions, and things that come up unexpectedly. Sometimes we must sacrifice our own time to give to others who need us.
Drop the guilt! It doesn't serve us. The best we can do is carve out a few moments for ourselves whenever we can.

There is so much negativity everywhere these days, the media is doing a great job keeping us fearful. I say let's unplug from the news, and spend that time in our art journals, drawing, painting, and journaling our lives. Even if we can only manage 15 minutes, that's 15 minutes of happiness added to the world. Our outside world can only change when we change our inner world. I really believe this.

happy creating!

A little something to motivate you

Promises of Youth

An elderly man, in the final days of life, was lying in bed alone. He awakens to see a large group of people clustered around his bed. Their faces are loving, but sad. Confused, the old man smiles weakly and whispers, "You must be my childhood friends, come to say good-bye. I am so grateful."

Moving closer, the tallest figure gently grasps the old man's hand and replies, "Yes, we are your best and oldest friends, but long ago you abandoned us. For we are the unrealized hopes, dreams and plans that you once felt deeply in your heart, but never pursued. We are the unique talents that you never refined, the special gifts you never discovered. Old friend, we have not come to comfort you, but to die with you."


No, I didn't write the above. It had come many years ago from one of my weekly newsletters, and I wish I knew who wrote it. If anyone knows, please let me know.
I find this passage so beautiful, and heartbreaking. It is sad because too many of us let our dreams die. We get caught up in day to day living, and keep saying, maybe next year I will have more time, maybe when the kids grow up, maybe when I retire...but nothing is promised to us. What if tomorrow never came? Would you be satisfied with the life you have led? I know I would not. I am nowhere near where I want to be, but at least I am trying to take steps regularly, to create a more fulfilling life.

I have made so many mistakes in my life. So many wasted years... I used every excuse in the book to justify not sitting down to do the thing I most loved to do, Create. So what changed? I can't even pinpoint it...You see, the love of art and creating was never far from my mind. I may have taken long breaks without drawing, but I always came back to it. I guess I finally understood that this was the one life I was given and that time was ticking.... No more excuses.

Don't get me wrong, I am far from perfect. I have days, even weeks where I don't do anything productive, and that is ok. We can't be 'on' all the time, we would burn out. There is nothing wrong with taking a break from your art (or whatever your goal is), and we should never feel guilty about it. I do love my t.v. shows like "Survivor" and "Project Runway". I just make sure I get back to creating after taking breaks from it.

So is anything holding you back from doing the thing you most love. Don't make my mistakes, dear reader. Print out the above little story and post it on your fridge as a reminder. You and I don't want to come to the end of our lives, and realize that we never lived. Every day you wake, you are given another brand new shiny day, to use as you please. Try to do something for yourself even if it's just for 15 minutes. Most of all, have fun!

Don't let your music die inside you!

Lots of blessing for a wonderful day :-)