I Live An Ordinary Life

I’ve always considered myself an Artist–even when I was an itty bitty.  But I can remember when I was younger, especially in high school, when I thought being an Artist was really glamorous.  And, well, I guess for some Artists it  is.  But for me, it’s quite ordinary.

I sketch in hospital waiting rooms.

I’m over the moon when Phoenix drops down for a nap so I can grab a little longer time to sketch his angelic face.

Sometimes Hansel will run into the grocery store for something, and I’ll sit in the parking lot making grey scales in my sketchbook.

Glamorous?  Not quite.

But steady, consistent, and interesting (well at least to me)–yes.  Nourishing to my Spirit? Without a doubt.

I’ll tell you a secret…sometimes I feel a little insecure about this.  My inner critic thinks I should be dashing from one exotic location to another to claim that I’m living the Artist life.  That I should be oozing out canvas after canvas and stacking up licensing deals and tripping over piles of magazine articles, but truthfully, that’s not me.

I’ve had gallery shows before in my twenties.  I’ve sold art on Etsy and one year I had almost 50 commissions for FEARLESS Paintings.  But none of that made me as happy as just creating for me and sharing what I find with the students I am blessed to be trusted by, or with you here on Dirty Footprints Studio.

And somehow, I’ve been able to make a living from this.  Not that I haven’t worked my ass off, and still do.  But I don’t let what others think I should be doing as an Artist define what I do naturally–that feels right to me.

I spent most of my adult life chasing the dream of being an Artist, but it wasn’t until I truly started listening to my heart in the here and now–and just doing what feels right to me–that I actually was able to do it as a self sustainable living. All those years in my twenties and early thirties were certainly not a waste.  I gained so much experience, knowledge, and life wisdom from trying out different versions of the dream of being an Artist, but I was always striving for something, always trying to get somewhere.

I feel like I finally arrived.  I’m not talking about financial or professional success–but to something greater: my own comfortability with who I am in this world, and what gifts I’m here to share.  Because of this, each day becomes an unveiling of something new–instead of another day of trying to get closer to some greater version of this life I’m blessed with.

So ordinary?  I’m ok with that.  Actually I think I make ordinary extraordinary.