Well. Hello world!
I'm glad you're here. Thanks. And I'm glad I'm here too. It's been quite a journey so far...
This first-ever blog post reflects a MAJOR step forward on my life path, so I'm grateful to share with you. The things is, I've been drawing and painting for roughly 30 years, have sold a lot of my work, been in a variety of art shows and dreamt of being an artist since I was a child, yet this is my first foray into being a "real" artist. As in, saying to myself "Ok team, it's time to get real. It's time to be seen and get over your fear of rejection." So here I go. I'm giving it a try....so far, it feels AMAZING.
So, to rewind a moment, I visited Kauai for 7 weeks earlier this winter. I didn't know quite why, but my intuition told me I needed to go to Kauai, that I needed to travel solo and that I needed to do art there. It also just so happened that my best friends were facilitating a retreat there, and that this was due to happen around the time the project I've been working on in the lab would be wrapping up. Huh. OK, well that makes for a clear path. I took off on my own, art supplies and camping gear in hand. About a week into my trip, I was gleefully walking the beach up at Haena alone, feeling deep bliss and probably grinning like an idiot, thinking to myself "this feeling of warmth, the sand between my toes, doing yoga every morning and just painting...why can't I live this way every day?" Then next bit of clarity came thundering in: I can. Really. Why not? What is stopping me? Uh...well. Nothing. So I did it.
I landed on Kauai about 2 weeks ago. I came here specifically so I can focus on making this dream of being a 'real artist' a reality. 'Focus' being the operative word...my 'problem' tends to be that I love doing ALL THE THINGS, ALL THE TIME. Which is great, but it means I don't spend the necessary, countless hours painting and doing all the background stuff that artists quietly must do to be successful. Here on Kauai, however, so far from many of my favorite distractions (read: the friends I love so dearly!!!), in a place where the pace is s l o w and there's so much room to breathe and connect to source, I feel deeply at peace and hugely inspired to create.
So. Here I am. Starting to dig into a process I began to take seriously about a year ago. Things are happening fast...
-I've almost completed the first painting I started since arriving, and have completed 2 I left here partially complete after my first trip.
- Two days ago, I learned how to stretch my own canvas (thanks to the wonderful Max Lemaire). Win!! This was a doubly big win in my little world because I stretched the first-ever reproduction of my work! Woohoo! (Getting quality prints done has been a major hurdle.) This first print feels especially good because it's going to a high-end auction at an auspicious gallery, a fundraiser to help protect local ecosystems and support Kauai youth arts! Great causes and great exposure for me! (Thanks, Aaron Johnson!)
- Yesterday, I finally launched my very own website, something I've been meaning to do/in the process of doing for a number of years that is embarassing and shall not be named here. Victory is mine!
- On Monday, I turned 35.
Whew. It's been a big couple of weeks, to say the least. I need a little break. I'm off for a jog and a swim in the crystal clear blue sea... Ok, i may still be just a little distractable. But then imma gonna paint! YAY for Friday nights at home in the studio!