“Art is not a thing, it is a way.” Elbert Hubbard
Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines the word create as: to bring into existence; to produce through imaginative skill, to invest with a new form.
Unbeknownst to me growing up, I was surrounded by a total creative, my mother. Her artistry appeared with impeccable meals, custom made clothing for myself, stunning holiday decorations, blue-ribbon landscaping, and consummate hostessing. Bit by bit, maybe by osmosis, my creativity began to appear and over time, explode with an insatiable desire to start a few cottage industries, teach classes, and create retail production lines. It became my journey to explore, expand, engage in anything that could be brought into form with my hands and heart…it was my “way.” To desire something and have the curiosity to seek to manifest it…to “bring into existence” became imbedded in all that I did (and continue to do).
And now, with many experiences gleaned along my creative journey, I offer art workshops in my studio. With good supplies, instruction, and most importantly, encouragement, excitement and surprise show up. The student’s ideas are transformed into a piece of art of their own making. Previous self-doubt fades away and in its place is confidence and a desire to discover more. It starts with the decision to explore and bring something into existence that wasn’t there before. It’s heady stuff.