It was a day of great music, wine and delicious strawberry dip. It filled the hallways of otherwise empty staircases, a cacophony of celebration and glory from a community all joined for two women celebrating their art. Oh yeah, did I also mention the amazing art?
Here) and Vanessa Smith (Here), the space as a whole smelt of freedom and artistic liberality. As I sat on floors taking photo after photo, I couldn’t help but wonder,
Is that the feeling of artists who walk in their own space,both literally and figuratively?
While the photos will speak for themselves (done by yours truly), I wanted to focus on artistic liberation and freedom as my highlight in all of this. Not only did I feel amazing being in a space where there was no judgement and nothing but positive vibes from artists, but I was HAPPY that something like this could exist for them. As artists, we can become obsessively sensitive about our work, and while people love the byproduct of what we do, many times you find people who forget that there is actually a piece of us that gets taken every time we sell a painting, write a piece we can’t have back and take some part of our soul.
“They’re like our kids, ” Michelle said on creating artwork, “you spend so much time with it, more than you’d think and then someone’s like Boom. Want it. Need it. And you’re like Okaaaaay, but even if you make a recreate you never get that back.”
Focusing on the beauty of the artwork only scratched the surface of the beauty of the ladies who painted them, opening up for me and a few of my other fellow bloggers about their love for painting and creation. “We’re incredibly different, yet still the same. It’s like having a sister that’s not your blood sister.”
” I never just wanted to be an artist, I do this for fun” said Vanessa, who does work in Corporate America outside of the realm of artistry.
Michelle, who initial wanted to be an art teacher, took classes till she was in the Studio and realized she enjoyed the solitude and the self-expression she could bring to her own work. “It’s not necessarily something that has to be a full-time thing, but it’s going to be something [artistic] that has to fill my life.”
Art showcases like this are always needed because our community needs to be centered around celebration and support. We celebrate when other artists make it, but we also show support not just for them, but for us. How are we to walk in our lives, being proud of being different and strange and misfit-ish, if we are not encouraged by our own that that is alright and absolutely amazing?
own work. “It’s not necessarily something that has to be a full-time thing, but it’s going to be something [artistic] that has to fill my life.”
When asked about the support of their comunity, they both agreed that family and friends are the most supportive people in their circle, saying they believe the idea of being a woman in the art world isn’t terrifying as long as you get a right support group. And when’s the time to do something? “There’s never a perfect time to do something, so you might as well just freakin’ do it.”(Michelle)
While Michelle and Vanessa graced the room, we bloggers and friends found ourselves talking and laughing, relating various parts of our lives we found were touched by our art.
How does an artist think, how do we feel
? It felt amazing to be in a space where we were all unified, whether we were writers, photographers, painters, or anything else.
The greatest take away I gathered from the event was to simply be proud of who you are and be true to that. As I find daily in my quest for inner liberation and truth, nobody will be you better than you. So, don’t force yourself to be someone else. You are uniquely made with skills that are matched to none. Shine bright like a diamond!
