My Decision to learn to paint
When I made the decision to learn to paint it was mainly because I wanted a hobby, a fun way to fill up my time. I never anticipated the changes in myself and in my life that would follow. Today I have decided to share this personal part of my story to let you know that wonderful things can happen when you set your mind to learning something new.
I Felt Invisible
For a large part of my life I was a painfully shy introvert who was only ever known as somebody else’s wife, mother, daughter or friend. I always felt a bit mediocre, a bit of an underachiever. Whenever I met anybody new, they would never even remember my name. I felt invisible. I didn’t really think that this bothered me too much at the time but actually, deep inside, it really did.
My Self Esteem Rocketed
It was 1996 when I made the decision to learn to paint. I enrolled in a course at my local Community Centre. The instructor was very generous with her knowledge and soon I had grasped the basics. After less than a year, Janey (the instructor) encouraged me to exhibit my work.
The exhibition was being held about 250kms south of where we lived in the beautiful south west of Western Australia. My husband, children and I decided to turn the trip into a bit of a weekend getaway as well. Oh yeah, it was also my 33rd birthday. I cannot describe to you the thrill I felt when we returned to collect the painting at the end of the weekend and found that it was sold. You absolutely could not wipe the smile from my face. I was walking on air for days, or even weeks.
It seemed incredible that somebody I had never met was actually paying me money for something that I created with my own two hands. My self esteem rocketed.
I Felt Important
From that point on, I was hooked. I kept creating paintings and selling them, mostly in community art prize exhibitions. The price of my work went up, I won a few prizes and the thrills kept coming. Pretty soon people who I had never even met knew my name. I wasn’t being recognised on the street or anything but I do remember being introduced to a neighbour whose reaction was “oh, the famous artist”.
Let me perfectly clear, I was in no way famous, but suddenly, people were starting to remember my name. I felt important.
More Confident
Fast forward a bit to 2007 when I started creating mosaics. I had accumulated so many pieces at home that I decided to try selling them at the markets. This took me way out of my comfort zone because in order to make any sales I had to talk about my work, to strangers, in a public place. In the past, I had left the selling to others, in galleries and exhibitions.
My natural inclination was to apologize for my work not being perfect or make excuses about how it could have been better. I am sure you can guess what happened. Negative talk about yourself or your work will put doubt in other people’s minds. If they are a prospective customer, they will walk away fast.
So pretty soon, I learned how to speak about my work in a more positive fashion. This led to me feeling more confident about myself and I also think it helped me to develop a more positive outlook on life.
A Sense of Pride
In 2009 I started selling my art online and in 2013 I started working at it full time. Wow, what a learning curve that was, and still is. Over time I have built up my business to a point where I now feel it’s something worth talking about when I meet someone new, something I feel passionate about. I feel a sense of pride in what I have achieved.
Worthy
When I was approached by an art studio to teach in one of their classes, it was my new found confidence that allowed me to say yes. The progress that I saw my students make and their positive feedback made me feel worthy of my new role as teacher.
A Sense of Purpose
Nowadays I have two Etsy stores, two websites and numerous social media accounts. Also, I am currently working on developing my own online art courses. I won’t lie to you, this is an enormous amount of work and sometimes I am still way outside my comfort zone. But you know what, I love doing it because it gives my life a sense of purpose and makes me feel like a person in my own right, a valued member of society.
My Point
So I guess the point of this article is that one small decision to start something new can lead to so many wonderful changes in your life. One step leads to another but if you don’t take the plunge and get started, nothing will change.
If any of this resonates with you and you feel ready to make a change in your life and learn to paint then I would love to be the one to help you do it. My Simple Seascape art course will be launching soon. Please make sure you are on The Early Bird VIP list if you want to keep informed about the details.
Jen
Love How You Live
Footnote: Just a few days ago I published a video art tutorial on Youtube. I still can’t believe it myself. Me, in my daggy old work clothes, hair not done and with no makeup. 32 year old me would never have been able to do that.