How it all started
my artist journey
how it all started…
When I ask my community how they feel about the word artist, many of you tell me that it’s scary, intimidating, that you don’t feel you deserve to call yourself an artist because you’re not “professionally trained”, you haven’t gone to art school, you’re not selling your work… And let me tell you, I used to feel exactly the same, and for a long time it kept me from taking my art seriously and allowing myself to take this oh-so-important time to actually make it, and practice, and grow.
So today, I want to rewind and tell you how it all started, so you too can let go of your limiting beliefs and just get creating!
humble beginnings
I haven’t gone to art school either, but we all have to start somewhere, right? Back in the spring of 2010, I painted my first mixed media painting, which you can see below: a little birdie out of her cage. I titled it "Free as a Bird" and I guess it was a good omen, or maybe an intention for the journey that was about to unfold...
My first painting!
My art has gone a long way since then, I’ve done art shows, won awards and my paintings have been featured on the cover of magazines and books, but when I look at this humble painting, I feel like it was only yesterday. I still remember the brushstrokes, the brand new tubes of paint, the first time (and definitely not the last) that I played with bubble-wrap, scribbled into fresh gesso with the handle of my brush and stamped circles with an empy tube of aspirin!
I was a complete newbie: my last "creative" endeavors had been to sew washable nappies for my kids and wall-paper a toy chest... My inner artist had been locked up deep within for over a decade, but she couldn't take it anymore. One day, in desperation, she made me open my laptop and start searching. What could I do to get creative?...
There was a huge scrapbooking frenzy at that time, but it didn't really attract me. I went googling like my life depended on it (which, at some soul level, it probably did) and after just a few minutes, I landed on to two magical words I had never heard of... Mixed Media. I was intrigued, I could feel a deep knowing stirring in my soul. My Artist Soul.
Ten minutes later, I found Kelly Rae Robert's book "Taking Flight" on Amazon. Three days later I opened it and read it cover to cover. The next day I went to the closest art store and bought my first supplies. Then the weekend came and I started my first ever canvas.
That day, I was born again.
Like many other creatives, I started painting on my kitchen table. Can you spot the Kelly Rae Roberts print above the tea towels?…
With time, practice, passion and a good dose of resilience and stubbornness, I have gone from a frustrated, sleep-deprived young mom who hardly knew who she was, to fully embracing the artist journey. I am so grateful that my artist soul didn't give up back then, so grateful for the joy of art in my life today.
And my next favorite thing is to share this joy and help other creatives embrace their artist soul too, and guide them on this beautiful path.
Before you go, I'd love to know: when did YOU start your artist journey? Were you already making art as a child or did it come later in your life? Have there been ups and downs? Please share your story in a comment!