I saw something recently that said "your 30’s are all about rediscovering the childhood you, without the shame & without the judgement."
While I never felt shame for my love of art, as I grew older I began to judge myself. As academics and all things college admissions became the be-all, end-all of my teenage life, my passion for painting got pushed to the side.
An artist didn’t seem like a real, serious job and the really serious, ambitious high school me loaded up her schedule with every AP class, club, and Honors Society she could pile on.
I thought I was going places, but I ended up completely miserable.
In fact, my first year of college was the worst year of my life. An utter disaster, all I had been striving for crashed down from the pedestal I had built for it.
I began a gradual recovery, slowly revising my priorities and definitely not always getting it right. Though the days to come yielded much improvement and even some of the biggest highlights, still a feeling of "lostness" hovered over me.
After lots of prayer and life experience I grew, but becoming a mom truly snapped things into focus: how I wanted to spend my time, what was really important to me, and the person I wanted to strive to be.
In those holy moments, an urge to paint took over me and I dusted off my inner artist. Starting with a blank canvas and creating something lovely awoke part of my soul that had laid dormant for so long, the inner child filled with light and hope.
I believe we all have that childhood spirit living within us, the truest essence of ourselves.
I hope my paintings remind you of that version of you, the 8 year old inside you who believes anything is possible.
Make her proud. 💕
