stop overthinking and just do the thing
Here we go, my first blog post on my own website… I’m not sure which feels more surreal. Like many people, I’ve toyed with the idea of starting a blog over the years but could never dedicate the required energy or settle down on a coherent theme. And I never planned on starting a web page, just maintaining a social media presence can be challenging enough.
I was an artsy kid who loved to play with anything and everything: paint, charcoal, ink, graphite, clay. I took every art class, participated in fairs and shows, painted murals wherever people let me, and always received art supplies at Christmas and birthdays. But some unfortunate experiences while studying graphic design at community college made me decide I wasn’t cut out for a creative career. I eventually returned to school and received degrees in science, which has been a wonderful and fulfilling path: I’ve studied abroad, worked in labs and on fascinating projects, led research cruises, and met many of my closest friends (including my husband). I still felt the occasional creative spark or urge to make, but I told myself too much time had gone by. I didn’t know how or was too afraid to start again.
After suffering a miscarriage, then postpartum depression after my second child was born, I needed an outlet. I pulled out an old, half-completed sketchbook and finally put pen to paper again. What started as a mindfulness exercise reignited that creative passion. I can’t get enough and never want to stop… I’ve already wasted too much time not making art!
So here we are after a decade hiatus from art. I’ve started selling my work and am investing in myself and my art practice. Between work and raising young children, I get an hour or so to myself after getting the kids to bed (my husband and I work opposite schedules and see each other on weekends… absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?). I spend time with my practice every day, painting or drawing when I have the energy, organizing supplies or flipping through art magazines and books when I don’t. All that matters is that I keep going… Stop overthinking and just do the thing.
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