There’s a meme circulating on Facebook that asks “What did you want to be when you grew up?” The majority of people’s answers identify something that is much different than what they are currently doing…it got me thinking…why do we think we can only do one thing? And what derails us from our original plan?
I’ve done many different things in my life…community organizer for non-profit groups, teacher of skills to both children and adults, crew member at a french bakery, managing the cash office at a local retailer, grant writing and fundraising, and yes, being an artist. Some were worthy career paths, others just paid the rent. But I never thought I had to be just one thing.
sometimes change happens when you least expect it…
As I have mentioned in recent newsletters, I have felt a shift in my artwork…I can’t put my finger on it exactly, but the enthusiasm for past practices has waned. I find that I am not alone…Melinda Tidwell’s most recent blog post and Rebecca Sower’s Instragram post both give voice to this same feeling of uncertainly and anticipating what the next step might be.
I’m in the midst of pulling together art for my upcoming show in mid August - Fresh Paint Art Festival here in Everett - and I’ve noticed an interesting thread through the pieces…there’s a recurring theme of butterflies.
Most of us are familiar with the notion that butterflies signify transition and change…
I hadn’t realize the thread until I started assembling pieces for my show…was my ambiguity with the direction of my art giving me a tell…
As with career choices, one sometimes feels pigeonholed with what type of art one does…just as its easiest to say “I’m a lawyer, a computer tech or a teacher” likewise its easiest to say “I’m a painter, I’m a sculptor, I’m a photographer” People don’t want a complicated answer…they just want a simple response.
I feel as if I’ve been abandoning my mixed media collage work…I’m enjoying all the sewing…it’s been a refreshing change…I’m still combining tones and textures, but with fabric instead of paper. And when I run out of fabric and I have no more artistic tote bags to sew, then what? (FYI…my artist tote bag project began at the first of the year with my resolution to use up supplies I already had …starting with a mound of fabric that I’ve been hauling around for too long!)
And there’s the monkey wrench of dealing with life at the tail end of a pandemic…and given the nebulous nature of selling art in the age of post-COVID, I definitely feel that I am casting about for an answer, a solution, a direction.
Perhaps it is best just to let it all simmer…enjoy summer…keep creating any way I want…with or without a defined label. And I hope you are creating too…in any way that makes you happy…
