Let me take you on a little journey. It’s Jan 2021 and I am half way through my online mastery course. For my next assignment I thought I would challenge myself with going back over a lesson that I struggled with earlier.
I wanted to paint a strong, black female with a little attitude. And I found out quickly that she and I were having issues. She turned GREEN?! To me, she looked like Shrek! But aftER many coaching calls and frustration I was able to eventually get her to look human again. She actually ended up in the local library for the Black History month exhibition. After the show, I put her away in my closet. Until this fall…
I felt that my style has changed and I was wanting to make her a little more “edgier”. So I had an idea. I was going to paint her grey and black.
However, she quickly turned to being a SMURF!!! p.s. Did you know smurfs originated in Brussels Belgium?! Cool right?! But she was NOT supposed To look like that! I was Dev-a-stated to say the least 😭😱 She looked worse than before.
So what I did next was I wiped all the blue/grey off thankfully since it was in oil. I then went to an app called Picsart, a photoshop app and added my painting to a building. Reminding myself that I was an artist and that I was going to create amazing Things! I just needed to regroup and keep trying. To allow myself to feel the sting of disappointment, that my art wasn’t turning out like I had thought, but that I chose not to stay there.
Instead I chose to look forward and in-vision my art on a grandER scale. To even think about being a partner with big brands such as Nike. I chose the saying, “Just Do It“ because I feel that I needed to keep going even if I felt a little silly for saying or believing that MY art would ever be something amazing.
”Time FR” song came on one day while I was painting in my studio and it was just the sound I needed to finish strong. So that’s the title of this piece. It’s all about not seeing the chaos in this world, because you are so consumed with loving others, and being lead by peace. You don’t have time for gossip, negativity, or small thinking because life is so short.
After I created the billboard with my art I was not only able to finish the painting strong, but was able to go on and paint even bigger canvases!
”Time FR” is again up at the International Library in Belgium as part of my Black History Solo Exhibition 2022.
I am so thankful that I decided to press in and keep painting. i do think it’s ok to make bad paintings and throw some away. But its important as an artist to trust your gut and not give up too soon.
I know there is a collector out there ready to be reminded that they are destined to be great and to just put their blinders on and continue to love well.
