The beauty of being artists - and the artists of our lives - is WE get to choose what our lives look like. We decide which projects to say yes or no to. We determine how hard, or not so hard, to work. In essence, we get to blaze our own trails, and write our own rules along the way.
After nearly 3 months of working 12+ hour days for 6, sometimes 7 days/week, to get ready for my, "Choice Points," art show at Sync Gallery, I am re-discovering that there IS life outside of the art studio.
I'm still logging long hours most days (because it's just my nature to work a lot), but I'm also cultivating my self-care disciplines again. I've been juicing and blending, meditating and journaling as I sit in front of our 2 fresh water fish tanks as I enjoy their beauty, and this past weekend I went on my first ride of the season on the back of my husband's motorcycle.
But it was a simple domesticated thing, sewing a button back onto a pair of pants for my husband, that brought me back into my body. It took me years to realize how important it is to honor my creativity. But it only took threading a needle to remind me that, in addition to being an artist, I am also a wife... and a daughter, an aunt, a friend...
We are ALL artists - the artists of our lives. And we are also SO much more, to SO many people.
How much do you love yourself? I have been asking myself this question a lot since leaving my day job to pursue my creative endeavors full-time.
It’s a faith walk to follow our dreams and lead with our heart. In the process, fears and worth issues can get stirred up. But when I ask, “How much do you love yourself?” I remember that I am worthy, that my dreams are worth it, and that I owe it to those around me to create a life that makes me happy.
Our minds can only focus on one thing at a time. By asking ourselves a question, our brains automatically start seeking solutions. Solutions that can raise our vibration, shift our perspectives, and get us back on course.
I have also been asking questions of others as I navigate my art career in Denver. In this week’s video I share how asking relevant, open ended, questions took me from not knowing anyone in the state of Colorado (except my husband) to having a thriving life and career 5 years later.
P.S. Come see my current art exhibition, "Choice Points," at Sync Gallery this Friday, March 7 during First Friday Art Walk in the Santa Fe Arts District. Can't make it to First Friday? No worries! My show will be up through Saturday, March 15. Here are the event details:
Choice Points February 20 - March 15, 2014 Closing Reception: Friday, March 7, 6 - 9 pm(1st Friday Art Walk)
I found myself feeling post-painting
blues during the days that followed the gallery opening of, “Choice Points,” my
new abstract painting series. The weeks leading up to the show were long and
intense. I spent 12-18 hours each day painting the series and preparing for the
exhibition.
Taking a break to fuel up on my favorite organic energy
drink while I hang my show at Sync Gallery
Once the opening artist reception
was over I thought I would finally catch my breath and find balance in my life
again. Instead, I felt anxious and sad, found myself crying, and had trouble
sleeping – some of the symptoms the Mayo Clinic describes as signs of
postpartum depression.
As a childless female artist, I
often describe my painting process as a birth and affectionately refer to my
paintings as my babies. So it should have come as no surprise that my
excitement and anticipation for the new works, and their unveiling at my first
gallery show, would be followed by an emotional crash similar to what new
mothers experience who have recently given birth.
To recover from post-painting
blues I gave myself lots of self-care:
1.Sleep. I only had 3 months to prepare
for my new art exhibition so I kept strange hours to ensure I met my deadlines
and honored my commitments. As the opening drew closer, and my to-do list seemed
to grow longer, I worked harder and slept less. So after the opening, catching
up on sleep was my priority. After months of an insane schedule, it was not
easy to fall asleep at a reasonable bed time. But after a few nights of consistently
winding down and turning out the lights at a set bed time, I was finally able
to fall to sleep when I wanted to again. A cool bedroom temperature, an eye mask,
and ear plugs help.
Read 4 more tips at the Gallery24seven.com blog here.
A BIG hug and tremendous THANK YOU to everyone who came out to the opening reception last Friday night for "Choice Points" - my new series of paintings on display at Sync Gallery in Denver. It was a magical night connecting with friends, fellow artists, and patrons of the gallery.
To think, it all began with a simple intention I set four months ago: to create a new series of paintings and to show them, somewhere in Denver, in February.
In this week's video I discuss the power of setting an intention, the importance of taking inspired action, and perhaps the most important step, simply allowing ourselves to be guided to allow miracles to happen.
No dream is too big. We need only to believe in our dreams, and ourselves, enough to take the first step. That small action is often all that is required to put manifesting our dreams into motion.
Did you miss the opening reception? No worries! There is still time to see the show. "Choice Points" will be on display at Sync Gallery through Saturday, March 15. Here are the event details:
"Choice Points"
February 20 - March 15, 2014
Closing Reception: Friday, March 7, 6 - 9 pm (1st Friday Art Walk)
Gallery Hours:
Thursday's 1 - 4 pm
1st Friday 6 - 9 pm
Other Friday's 1 - 4 pm
Saturday's 12 - 4 pm
By appointment: 303-319-2771
Live Creatively,
Marcella
P.S. Below are a few snapshots taken during the opening reception.
Opening reception for "Choice Points" at Sync Gallery
Discussing my art
Photo credit: Louie Trujillo
I don't think I'm capable of talking without my hands
With my biggest fan - my husband Sean Richardson
Photo credit: Laura Ripley
Next to "Reality Dreamed" - my new personal favorite
Photo credits: Sean Richardson, unless otherwise noted
"We are all artists - the artists of our lives. What are you creating today?"
Words can not begin to describe how excited I am! THIS Friday, February 21, I will unveil 12 new paintings at the opening reception of my new art show - Choice Points - at Sync Gallery in Denver. I just finished hanging the show (see below), so I am like a proud mama that has birthed 12 new babies into the world!
Hanging my show at Sync Gallery
Choice Points is a series of acrylic abstract paintings that I have been creating since leaving my day job four months ago to pursue my art career full-time. The paintings play with bold color, new compositions, and the tension between focal points and negative spaces.
A peek at some of my new paintings
While creating the new series, I was inspired by my own choice points in life - those times when we are at a cross roads in decision making or are conflicted between opposing opportunities. A recent choice point for me was deciding to leave a non-profit job I liked for an art career I love. It took perseverance to work full-time for someone else, while doing whatever it took to pursue my dream of becoming a full-time working artist.
In this week's video I talk about perseverance and the importance of staying committed to our dreams. I also share a question that was posed some years ago by my favorite author. That question, and the answer that followed, is what inspired me to rekindle my dream of being an artist and gave me the strength to persevere on the days when life, art making, and making a life through art, felt hard, if not down right impossible.
I am sharing the gallery space at Sync with the talented photographer, Britt Ripley. Britt's show is titled Western Metamorphosis. It is the name he has given to his style of photography - a genre that allows him to intimately explore, as well as juxtapose, the animate and inanimate subjects related to his ranching family background. Printing his own images is an integral part of Britt's artistic process.
A peek at Britt Ripley's photography show, also at Sync Gallery
So if you live in Colorado, I hope you will join Britt and me this Friday, February 21 at Sync Gallery during 3rd Friday Art Walk in the Santa Fe Art District to celebrate the unveiling of our latest creative expressions. Gallery hours this Friday are 6 - 9 pm. Below are the other dates and times you can see our shows:
February 20 - March 15, 2014
Opening Reception: Friday, February 21, 6 -9 pm (3rd Friday Art Walk)
Closing Reception: Friday, March 7, 6 - 9 pm (1st Friday Art Walk)
Gallery Hours:
Thursday's 1 - 4 pm
3rd and 1st Friday's 6 - 9 pm
Other Friday's 1 - 4 pm
Saturday's 12 - 4 pm
By appointment: 303-319-2771
Live Creatively,
Marcella
"We are all artists - the artists of our lives. What are you creating today?"
