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One thing I frequently hear fellow artists talk about is the “artistic journey”.  When I first started out doing artwork, many years ago, I really didn’t understand what they meant.  I thought maybe they meant the way their work changed with time or their personal story of artistic development.  Or maybe they just meant the process of entering, preparing, and getting to the show itself.  I would just smile and nod.  It took me many years, and my own journey, to understand that it really means all of those things, and so much more.

For each of us, the journey is different.  We come from different backgrounds, with different interests, different educational opportunities, and varying levels of support and mentoring.  Art in general and our own Art mean different things to each of us.  Some of us (like myself) dabbled at an early age and went on to do other things for a good bit of our lives.  Of those, some continued to dabble (I have always used my art as a means of relaxation after a stressful work day), while others pushed it aside for years, but then were drawn back to it for some reason.  Others knew very early on that they wanted a career in art and worked full time plus to perfect their craft.  Some took time to raise children and take care of a family.  All of these various paths (and the oh so many more) reflect in our Art one way or another.  This is the artistic journey.

And the journey is never ending.  Each new day brings new experiences, new interactions, and new events into our lives, all of which influence our thinking and our art.  This is the artistic journey.  Sometimes it’s little things, like the first time you noticed how beautiful and delicate a butterfly is in the early morning sun.  Sometimes it’s huge things like a death or a wedding, a new job, a move, or a birth.  This is the artistic journey.  I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m enjoying mine, and I look forward to seeing what’s down that path.  Both the good and the bad.  I wish you all an amazing artistic journey!