Now I know why there are sooooo many blogs about creative art businesses and how-to posts.  There’s so much  to know in order to get things rolling when you’re starting an art business.  For example:  coordinating the languages that your scanner, printer + monitor all speak (because they’re all different).  It’s a never ending process of adjustments that I’m currently trying to figure out, I hope I can get it all set up correctly soon.

It was yet another reminder of how it feels to come up against that edge of the learning curve.  Sometimes I feel like it’s harder to learn something new as you get older because there are so many things that get in the way: previous knowledge holding me back from learning more, embarrassment of being wrong + the ever present ego that never wants to concede.  It’s been humbling lately around here.

As I go through this new landscape of building my art business, I try to remind myself that it’s ok to be a beginner, it’s ok to make mistakes and ask for help.  How else do I learn + grow?  I would love to think I’m so evolved that being a beginner comes easily, afterall I only started seriously painting about 3 years ago, but part of my natural reaction is to internally stomp my feet.  Can’t this beginner part just be done already?

I remind myself: It’s all a part of the process.  I will never stop learning.

And then I stumbled on this post about changing careers + passion + keeping it real.  It was so motivating and affirming–there’s so much talk about lightning-bolt type passion out there.  That if you don’t know what you’re passionate about, you’re not trying hard enough.  If you’re not consumed at ALL TIMES with what you’re purpose is, you just haven’t found it yet.   But I’m not an outer limits kind of person–I like my middle ground, thank you very much.  So this all-out approach doesn’t bode well for me.

The article explores the opposite of this: what about the day -to-day build of creating a life?  What about slow and steady?  This article puts wildly into perspective what I had hoped all along: that I just might be on the right path to reaching my dreams by working on it each and every day.  No lightning bolts.  No symphonies, just time and patience.  I don’t have to be a psycho consumed with art, I can plug along a little each day.  I’m running a marathon, not a sprint.

A sigh of relief.

So here is a view of what I’m surrounding myself with lately on my journey:

This is a work in progress–here is the first layer, more to come.

I love the close up on this one–those colors are so juicy and get my heart racing.  I recently started experimenting with the caran d’ache crayons and they’re a lot of fun (they’re the yellow and pink colors in the flower below).  Kind of like watercolors but they dry like acrylics + they’re very flexible but give a little more vibrancy.

This is a work in progress that has been evolving for some time now.  You know when you feel something is not quite right?  This canvas has been that for me–I must have done at least 4 layers of do-overs.  It’s starting to come around now–maybe it just needed a girl to give it life.

Here’s a snapshot of my studio and some pieces I’ve been working on.  The stack to the right all need tweaking–it’s nice to have a surplus of things to keep working on.  It’s a good reminder to keep going to my class each week so the surplus keeps comin’.

This was one of my first girl pieces that I really loved.  I recently revisited it and I still need to add some accents to their hair + maybe a little more background, but those two ladies make me very happy!

Yesterday, Chris and I took a drive to the twin lights and celebrated being together for 2 years.  It was an amazing day of slowing down and appreciating each other.  Those lazy days really recharge my spirit (he does too) and I’m so grateful for what we have.