What can you learn from your child? A lot.

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For those of you that know me, or if you have been a steady reader, you know that this time in my life has brought with it many challenges (and a few rewards.) Let’s be honest now; we all have phases in our life when faced with something unpleasant. We have the power in our hands to accept things as they are and grow from them.

Why is it, then, that during this time, I’ve heard countless times, “Oh, I couldn’t do what you are doing.” I’m not living my life in any extraordinary manner by any means! I think, more often than not, we get too overly concerned with how we appear to everyone around us. We don’t want to appear defeated, weak, or failing at something to anyone, not even our closest friends & family. That fear alone gets in the way of us being able to take an unwelcome change and use it as an opportunity to create something good, even out of a terribly painful thing. It requires us to look deeper into the situation. It requires forethought in our words & actions. It requires us to recognize what we are feeling at the moment and decide if that emotion is what we want to make decisions with. It requires us to think about how our actions impact those around us- and they do. It requires us to choose a new path and walk confidently, armed only with faith.

I have always loved creating in so many various forms. Drawing, painting, sketching, photography, even pottery- all start the same way: your heart sees something, and your hands want to capture it, like a child chasing fireflies at dusk in the summertime. It’s not just a hobby- it’s a passion that I have continuously made fit into my ever-changing life. Now it’s time to make it a part of my life in a much bigger way.

So here I am, at a point in my life where I can decide what direction to follow- what path to choose that will be the best for my own personal growth but that will provide healthy lessons of life to teach my child.

It starts with me pulling up my bootstraps, restoring the pieces of my once-broken website (and, in some respects, broken life), and I’m starting fresh. This month I will work on rebuilding my portfolio and starting the search for a school/life that will welcome me as I am and that will help lead me to a career in the art field. I’m moving forward with an open mind; I’m walking with confidence, and I’m learning from my child how to see the world with fresh new eyes.

The two images above are my favorite piece of work. The trees that lined the street behind us in our small place in Hawaii were always such an inspiration.