FEARLESS We Paint: Guest Post By Tami Chacon

Walking a FEARLESS Path

I felt so honored when Connie asked me to write a guest post on her blog! I quickly accepted and then thought, “YIKES! What on earth could I ever say that someone would find interesting?” I am so new on this journey. I have so many questions and no answers!

I have come to Art late in life. I’m approaching 50 this year and have only recently discovered that I am an artist. What a realization! I remember loving to paint and create as a child. It was a simple pleasure and easy as breathing. I had a certainty about me. I could hop on my motorcycle and go explore the landscape of New Mexico. I could pull out paper and sketch. I could create mosaics with ease. But then I lost that somehow. School, society, family . . . who knows what happened to make my artful self disappear?

Art has brought me back to my 11 year old self who would take off on a motorcycle and spend the day in the badlands of New Mexico. No fear, no worries, just Being in the moment and loving life. I am learning to walk this artistic path like a child just learning to walk – full of curiosity – open to all. I wish to be as fearless as I was as a child.

I began with art journaling – loving to play with color and textures. Creating backgrounds, but never sure what to put on those backgrounds exactly! Then along came Connie and BIG which opened up a sense of my ‘self’. I faced that huge blank paper on the wall and took up a brush and painted, just painted! I loved every minute of it. And I have come to feel a shift deep inside, it isn’t all that noticeable to anyone but I have discovered I do have my voice, my ‘self’ and I only need to BE and listen to her. Those backgrounds I paint aren’t blank anymore. Images appear as I paint. I am finding my way, my path back to myself and also to the world. The TRIBE that Connie is creating is a warm, nurturing TRIBE of painters – each of them amazing and wonderful. With the encouragement of the tribe and Connie, I continue to explore, to grow, to become as fearless as that child I once was.

This FEARLESS path is not straight – not narrow.

It is a wide, meandering path thru my life, encompassing that inner self, that inner child and the world of sadness, anger, wonder and joy of my present world. Exploring my fears while painting is a journey of a lifetime. Discovering my Joy is a path to self. Thru painting I discover the hidden meanings, the messages I would not otherwise discover.

I love this journey, this path. I hope that each of you can find your path, your way to ‘self’.

BIO & CONTACT

Tami Chacon: an explorer of life – new to art but loving every minute of it. Living in Florida but a Southwestern girl at heart. An almost empty-nester, a lover of color, paint, yoga, poetry, and life. A bit introverted and shy but slowly changing that. Choosing JOY. Eager to continue on this artful FEARLESS journey. Can’t wait to see what comes next!

Come join the Tribe of FEARLESS Painters!!

BIG is currently on sale HERE! Starts January 9, 2011–ring in the New Year BIG!