June 2, 2020 is my 20th Birthday — as an artist!
20 years ago, on June second, I moved to Hawaii to housesit for my friend Sarah — and, more importantly, to become the artist I’d always wanted to be.
Long story, short, I’d wanted to draw, paint, and sculpt — to be an ARTIST, all my life, but …
a very wet beginning for a new painting
I was afraid.
I was afraid I wasn’t good enough. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to make a living making art. I was afraid no one would want my paintings. I was afraid I wouldn’t have anything to say with my art. I was afraid whatever I said wouldn’t matter.
I have moments, hours, sometimes even days of feeling like I have something to contribute. And I have moments, hours, and days of feeling that I don’t.
I believe this is all part of being human. Though our reasons may vary, we all have days of great joy and days of great despair.
Writing and painting allow me to sort out my feelings and find a purpose for my life. We all want to feel that our life has meaning.
We’re all weary of these COVID times. There are lots of reasons to feel tired, worn out, exhausted, you name it. AND this is a marathon, not a sprint.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve never even been tempted to sign up to run a marathon!
The painting continues to emerge
Yet here we are, living in a marathon.
One way to make this easier on ourselves is to Stop Complaining.
Rather than commiserating and compounding our pain through sharing, we can look for and find things to be grateful for.
We can retain our power rather than giving it away to the complaint we’re about to make.
Complaining can be a way to sneak out of our responsibility to take care of ourselves.
Instead of complaining, look for ways to feel better about what is — or for ways to make what is better.
This space between the cone and the sphere is essential for the degree of movement needed
No! It’s not an easy fix.
Yes! It takes work to shift our habits of thought.
AND we can do this!
As it sinks into our brains that the world is fundamentally changing, that the sands are shifting beneath our feet, it’s up to each of us to learn new ways to balance ourselves out.
