Since 2020 I’ve been slowly transitioning my art medium from fabric to paint. At the beginning of the pandemic all of the art shows I had been planning on attending were cancelled, and all of the boutiques that sold my work closed. My business came to a stop. As I sewed hundreds of masks to donate and then even more to sell to keep my biz afloat, I had plenty of time to think. I decided to do something to bring me joy during that hard time and picked up my paintbrush once again. I started by painting once a week, figuring out my way as I went along. In 1992 I received a degree in painting from the University of Nevada, Reno. It had been a long time since then! I have always told myself that one day I would return to painting. It’s been a lifelong dream. Now is the time!
Participating in a 100 day challenge in 2021 turned out to be an important step in my journey. With this challenge you choose something creative and do it every day for 100 days. I chose painting. Committing to this challenge really helped in overcoming the blocks I had around “letting” myself paint. I just kept going, even on days that I really didn’t want to. I pushed past the resistance. By the end of the challenge I craved painting, my skills were starting to improve, and I was more inspired than ever. It had helped to established painting as a daily habit, and I still paint almost every day! It’s weird how our brains can be wired to prevent us from doing the thing we really want to do. I definitely had some blocks around expressing myself in that way which I’ve been working through.
My tag line “express your vibrant nature” is something I am continually trying to do. I feel that it is one of the most important things in life. There is so much gold deep inside each of us! We are all essential in our own ways and the world needs our unique talents. Let them out!
Painting is one of the truest forms of expression for me, and pursuing it is taking my art to the next level of depth and truth. It is vulnerable and scary to share this way, and to venture down a new path, yet it’s also exhilarating. Onward and upward! Stepping outside of your comfort zone can bring the biggest rewards. I have truly loved designing, sewing and dying fabrics over the last 25 years. Now I am ready to level up my self expression and continue in this new inspiring direction. I have so much to learn! Thanks for following along on my journey. I am excited to see how it continues to unfold.
How are you following your joy and expressing your vibrant nature?