More Than a Pretty Face

I love Pinterest! It's not just a bulletin board on which to pin pretty pictures; it is a place to communicate ideas and inspirations in all areas of creativity. I have had a need to create all my life and when I can't do it, I dream of doing it.

When I was a little girl I used to make puzzles by making a huge drawing on multiple sheets of binder paper. The only one I remember was of a nude woman; I think my grandmother found it and I got in trouble for it. I've always been fascinated by the human body, especially the mechanics of it; I guess that's why I used to dream of being an investigative coroner ala "Quincy" and why I love making goddess beads.

Teresa Laliberte is my Goddess Bead Muse

 I remember in Junior High School I would make replica drawings of the fruit that was on paper lunch sacks and my friends would ask me to make duplicates for them. I still love the bright colors and balloon shapes of fruit; maybe that's why I like beads by Heather Trimlett. I also remember learning to sew, and being pretty good at it; and I remember being the Queen of Hearts in the school fashion show/play (I wanted to keep forever my self designed and created playing card costume!)

Beads by Heather Trimlett

Courtesy How To Draw Cartoon

All along the way I liked to
save all my markers and crayons and I had a penchant for quirky ink pens; I still have scores of them! One of my favorite gifts was from a friend of my mothers, for whom I used to babysit; it was a book of geometric shapes, drawn like fractals, and I would color the designs I saw in them.

SO MANY inspirational color books on Amazon!

 For the last year I've dreamed of deviating from glass bead making and going back to seed beading/weaving. I am so inspired by Zen Tangle drawings. I've also loved the art of Mary Engelbrecht, which I was reminded of today by the following video....which I found on Pinterest!

Before I show you the video, I want to share with you my experiences of creating. More specifically, I want to show you my experiences with road blocks. This video shows me that I've been standing in my own way all along. I know what I love and how it makes me feel to do what I love. When people call me an artist, however, I shrink back from the compliment and deny any possibility of it being the truth. I am driven to create by my emotions, my passion for colors, and shapes, and details. I constantly accuse myself of not being able to control my use of those elements I love, that I don't know when to stop, when enough is enough, and in the process I ruin my "art". I know I am not alone in this feeling, so if you are with me, and you feel the same way, I'm here to tell you, I've found proof that we are so wrong about ourselves!

This video is amazing. This artist, Rach of ArtfulEvidence, is amazing. She uses a million techniques and as she creates she is fearless in her continued pursuit of what she enjoys, not being dependent on what the outcome is but only what is happening in the moment. She makes a beautiful start with color and technique and proceeds to evolve and develop and add more, more, more, and at no point is it ruined, or destroyed, or "too much". It is layer upon layer of joy and experience and giving into desire to add another color, another detail, another technique. And I kept saying, "When will she stop?! WHY will she stop?! Yes! That's the important question, Why?!" Funny, I wrote that "I've found proof" before I knew her Etsy and Blog name, "Artful Evidence"! Get it? GET IT!!!