Returning to the fundamentals

photo by: Frank Busch on Unsplash

I started this blog in 2011 it was a means to document my creative journey, later in life and not being sure of what to do.  I simply put one foot in front of the other and trusted it would be revealed to me.   The truth is, most times I was bombarded by self-doubt.  I had never painted or drawn before so I was venturing out into the unknown.  I would use these writings/photos as a reference point to look back in time.  I could see where I was in comparison to where I am at the  present time.   I could see there was improvement, even on a small scale, that gave me the encouragement to keep going.  Today, I still feel those moments of self doubt yet along the way I have gained more confidence then when I started and more tools to help me overcome any of those negative thoughts.

This site, also, was intended to be an encouragement for anyone else who was interested in doing something out of their comfort.  You can begin by reading some of my earlier posts.

You see.. one of the things that frightened me the most was I would compare myself to others.  The really good artists.  Duh!!!  Now I know not to do that.   It would stop me dead in my tracks until one day it dawned on me that they had to begin at the beginning, too.

I remembered a song from a long time ago that inspired me and I started listening to it again.  HERE'S THE LINK TO WATCH

Here are some of the lyrics that I like:
It's not where you start, it's where you finish.
It's not how you go, it's how you land.
A hundred to one shot, they call him a klutz 
Can out-run the favorite, all he needs is the guts.
Your final return will not diminish
And you can be the cream of the crop;
It's not where you start, it's where you finish,
And you're gonna finish on top.

I have gotten more involved in creating art, selling my art, art shows/galleries, teaching, and learning that I have been remiss with this site.  That is going to change.  I am returning to the fundamentals of this blog,  Sharing my creative journey as I let my creative spirit out to play.

You can follow me via email or sign on as a follower.  These choices and others are on the sidebar of my homepage.

late bloomer

Every Wednesday at http://www.imalatebloomer.com I feature a story about another creative Late Bloomer who has bloomed later in life.  A Late Bloomer isn't determined by their age.  According to Wikipedia "a late blooming adult is a person who does not discover their talents and abilities until later than normally expected". 

Does this description fit you OR do you know someone who it does fit? I'm always seeking new late bloomers. Email me at smileee001@gmail.com

 If you haven't checked it out, yet, you should.  These are some awesome women (hopefully I will introduce some men soon) who are sharing their stories.

COME BY WEDNESDAY TO READ MORE OF HER STORY AT

http://www.imalatebloomer.com

Thanks Linda Kinnaman

My friend Heather and I were featured on this site, today. (the link is below)

Take a moment and head on over to read it.

http://lindakaysart.com/blog/2012/11/19/mixed-media-mondays-nov-19th/

Thanks to Linda. She is helping me share the stories of some incredible women who are proudly proclaiming to be a creative Late Bloomer. If you are a creative Late Bloomer I'd be honored to share your story, too.  Visit my site at http://www.imalatebloomer.com

This painting is by Linda.
Isn't is awesome?

Thanks Linda!

Linda Kinnaman regularly posts 3 times a week ~ she has Mixed Media Mondays + Wet Paint Wednesdays + Fighting Fear Fridays. Each post is a good read and I always leave with a smile or something to apply to my life.

dreams

Someone asked me the other day what I had been up to and I wasn't sure how to answer.  Did she really want to know all the details or was it just a rhetorical question? I determined it was the latter so I said "not much". 

My objective is to look at life from a more positively position, than negative. Being negative doesn't serve me or anyone else.  I prefer to see life as either ebbing or flowing.  Just like with nature, it will change.  The last couple weeks I seem to be ebbing more than I would like.  One day I surrendered and stayed in bed all day - watched YouTube "how to" videos in between naps.   It actually ended up being a good thing. 

My art comes from my heart.  "Simple Truth/Simple Reminders"  I smile when I can see a piece of my art and know exactly what I was feeling when I created it.  This piece I did on 9/23/12, I was feeling like I wasn't getting anywhere with my dreams.  My message to myself was, it doesn't matter how long it takes or how you get there, just begin to follow the path of your dreams.  The tricycle is to symbolize how slow it can seem.  I was ebbing when I created this piece.

On 10/7/12 I created  this lady.  She most definitely is in deep thought, perhaps about her next adventure.  I used a new product, Faber-Castell Gelatos,  for her face that I will be using alot of now.  I learned about gelatos while watching YouTube "how to" videos the day I stayed in bed. (this was only one thing that turned out good from staying in bed that day)

I have come full circle, the ebb is gone and I am flowing, again.

Here is a piece of artwork from the on-line class I took with Donna Downey Canvas Create.  I made it for my neighbor's birthday, Maureen, who exudes love.

Another thing I did the day I stayed in bed all day was re-read my journal. What a revelation that was!  My journal is a place where I write everything, my hopes, my dreams, and my fears.  Many times within the past year I had written about a project that I felt I was suppose to do.  And because of fear or whatever, I haven't done anything with it.  I remember I let fear or whatever delay me beginning my creative I'm a Late Bloomer blog (read about it here) This blog was the best thing I could have ever done.  I am honored to share stories of some pretty awesome women who have creatively bloomed late.  There are many, many more women out there who need a little boost to let their creative spirit out to play. 

 

Well.... enough of holding back from moving toward my dreams.  I'm going for it.  It will be fun watching it unfold.  I feel my next piece of art stirring within my soul that will be called The Happy Dance, so stay tuned for the rest of the story!

I wonder why she started to cry?

I wanted to remind everyone to stop by Wednesday at http://www.imalatebloomer.com 

to read the rest of her story.

 

reminder

A reminder to hop,skip, or jump over to the creative Late Bloomer site on Wednesday to meet the latest flower added to the vase.

reminder

COME BY WEDNESDAY TO SEE WHERE HER JOURNEY TAKES HER.

http://www.imalatebloomer.com



met up with a new friend

Today I met up with Jill Heijl, she is someone I met on-line thru a Facebook  site called Liberate Your Art.   At Liberate Your Art you send 5 postcards to the hostess, she in turn mails them out to 5 different people.  Then you post the cards you get.

Someone had posted this postcard called Dirty Martini and I really liked it a lot.  I liked the quirkiness of it.  Several weeks later I received a friend request on Facebook and  it was from the artist of the Dirty Martini.  I was quite surprised at the coincidence or should I say synchronicity. Eagerly I accepted the request.   Long story short.... Jill happens to live in Illinois and was coming to Naperville today.  How awesome is that?  We talked for 

3 1/2 hrs and we probably could have gone on longer.  It seems like I've known her for a while.  We determined we were "Soul Sistas".

I firmly believe the Universe converged our paths and I am anxious, as she is, to see where it leads.

every life has a story

Just wanted to remind you to tune into the Late Bloomer blog on Wednesday morning and meet the newest flower added to the vase.  I sure hope you will continue to follow the blog and see other stories about women who are creatively blooming later in life. Sign up to be a Google Friend you'll be notified of a new post. Easy-Peazy!  Are you a creative Late Bloomer?  Do you know a creative Late Bloomer?  I'd love to share your stories.

I am having such a great time meeting all these wonderful women and sharing their stories.  It's imspiring to me to know these women.
I created these pages in my art journal with them in mind.

late bloomer reminder

On Wednesday, be sure to check out our newest creative Late Bloomer at http://www.imalatebloomer.com

Wednesday reminder-new creative late bloomer

http://www.imalatebloomer.com