I consider myself a new artist. I think I always will. And with that comes a lot of self-doubt. I wasn't somebody who always took photos or who always painted - it happened much later in life for me. In fact when I decided to go to art school after taking a year off after high school, I think most people were shocked because it was such a new interest, one most people didn't even know I had. I like gut feelings though. And I tend to go with them. And more often than not, I am pleased that I did so. I couldn't be happier that I went to art school. It was four years of hard work that paid off in every possible way and ended up being so much more than I could have ever anticipated.
And now it's been nearly four years since I graduated and sometimes that's hard to grasp. I feel like it was only yesterday I was immersed in my studies. Sometimes I feel like I've accomplished a lot since then, sometimes (most times) I feel the exact opposite. What I do know, though, is that I over-complicate things. I did back then and I continue to do so now. So I've decided to take a step back and see the beauty in simplicity. I've always had this negative connotation of a piece that appears easy to make, but I'm realizing that perhaps completing a piece that feels effortless and simple in the end is the key. I am going with my gut, yet again, and dedicating myself to this new and simplified and completely hard-working art world of mine. Here's to endless days of painting, the weight of my camera in my arms, and to breezy, bright and beautiful colors surrounding my everyday.
Oh, and Happy Friday to all my fellow struggling artists out there. Keep at it and trust your gut!