The majority of my life I thought art “was not my thing”…

I always wanted to be an artist, I remember sitting attempting to draw a realistic portrayal of ANYTHING, but I  was always disappointed with the outcome.  Somewhere along the way, I decided you could only be an artist if you were born an artist and stopped trying.  Instead, I was good at math and science, I was a  pretty good swimmer and a hard worker.  The rest, I was not so sure about…   

My mom used to sew our clothes.  She made my sister’s bridesmaid dresses.  She made me a T-shirt quilt after college from a plethora of swimming souvenirs.  She continues to sew gifts for my children.  My Dad, after his retirement, took to whittling wood  into ball point pens.  He makes us wooden gifts each Christmas.  A cradle, a bread knife, a wine cork, a cutting board, a necklace tree…  He made my daughter a wooden doll house.  He made my son a wooden train…

My mother’s father was a pilot, he owned a small airport in rural Wisconsin, and had a Christmas tree farm.  He tinkered in the garage well into his 90’s.  Her mother, who could also fly a plane, was a talented seamstress.  She crocheted afghans for my sisters and I, along with MANY other relatives, until she passed away at 93 years old… 

My father’s father was a dairy farmer. Eventually, he sold the farm and worked in a 7-UP plant.  Like his son, he enjoyed wood working.  I have a toy box he made me when I was a toddler…

My cultural heritage is filled with MAKERS…ARTISTS. 

What I know now is that we all have that artist inside of us.  A lot of us have just not found the courage to go looking for it.  We are scared to be vulnerable, we are scared to take the risk, we are scared to let it out.  We are fearful of the judgement.  We are fearful we will not be good enough.  We are fearful others will think it all a waste of time. 

As I have grown older, I have grown braver.  I have discovered that the only way to feel whole is to feel vulnerable, to take the risk of being judged.  To be my authentic self I need to sit in a space of creativity and learn to just BE.  I have found in this place I am the most free, in this place I am the most me.

I am passionate about helping others find this part of themselves.  We all have it, we just have to dust it off.  Sometimes we have to dig it up, and then dust it off.  But, if we can find the courage to practice our creativity, we can find our true selves.  We can learn to live with hope and joy.  We can find that we are all …artists.