Trust Your Talent

I was well into my forties before I  began making marks on paper with crayons and colored markers and pens.  I was definitely a late bloomer. But I had two wonderful things going for me then. First, I was willing to be a beginner.  And second, I had a cheering section of one. Both things helped propel me down this colorful path I have come to love.

I began drawing my feelings first, ignorant that I was joining the modernist movement of Expressionism.  I wasn't trying to make "art" but was simply trying to make sense of my inner world. Someone once said you have to make a lot of bad art before you can make the good stuff.  I did that and found I feel more alive during the process of art-making. Still do.

My cheering section, The Professor,  loved the final outcomes of my mark-making long before I could see any worth in them. He built me a round "Happy Fun Table" which took over our tiny dining area and let me "make messes" to my heart's content. Every night I would get out a few supplies and play.  Much of what I did then stayed safely hidden in my journals, however a best-loved piece, Wood Between the Worlds, came from those early days.

I know some of you have started playing in your journals, some with words and others with colors. Enjoy the process. Take a little time to play some each day. You don't have to show the outcome to anyone. Do it for you. I think you'll grow to like it. All you need to do is to be willing to be a beginner every day. And you have me in your cheering section. Because I love you. Bunches.