Life is a series of seasons that we walk through. There’s childhood, the teen years, college, moving out on your own, getting married, raising children, the career years, midlife, retirement and the twilight years. For the most part, people work through them in a specific order, and there is overlapping of experiences, but we are born and we die, with a lot of life lived in-between. I have made it through childhood, high school, getting married, raising kids, and middle-aged college years. My career has been stay home mom, years of homeschooling and I’m currently working my way through midlife.
As my youngest children begin their adult life, I’m ready to begin a new phase of life. And phasing is its own “mini” season. For stay home moms, plans have often been put on the back burner while raising children. Yes, I may have dabbled in hobbies and interests when time permitted, but once you become an empty nester and larger chunks of time become available, decisions have to be made to fill up the time. Phasing is a planning season – some people pick up with the career they once had, others go back to school to start a career. Some people take up traveling, while others decide its time to sit down and write that book they always wanted to write. My passion has been art and although I’ve dabbled over the years, it’s never been a priority. Well now it is, but not just to fill time, but because I love to work with my hands, try new things, and fill the world with a beauty that can be appreciated. Art is my way of connecting to people whether it’s through my projects or teaching. Art isn’t about becoming famous or rich (most artists never experience the success of their own work) it’s about a drive to express deeply personal experiences in ways that others can relate.
So this is my goal for 2017. I want to prioritize art in my life. I want to help others see that it has value that goes deeper than an image hanging on the wall collecting dust. There is therapeutic value to expressing oneself through the arts and crafts that have services people for years. I hope to show my audience that art isn’t just painting or drawing, but that there is a variety of options available to people; options that can enrich lives, help with stress and offer options for working through strong emotions that come with life experiences.