Happy Valentine's Day

Two weeks ago, I became an Escapist.  I was one of five people chosen to be mentored by Houston artist John Palmer and his partner Ryan Lindsay. To say these two are incredible, giving human beings just isn't saying enough.  Although the program has just started and I've only attended one meeting, I already know this year is going to be incredible for my career and my life.  I've sold four paintings since I became an Escapist and although the financial aspect is great, it's more about the confidence this has given me. I feel like I am finally living my dream and doing the thing that feels closest to the person I was meant to be.  I can't wait to work with John, Ryan and my fellow Escapists. 

That being said, life is ever-changing.  We never really know what's around the corner and as much as we like to think we are in control, in many ways, we are not.  I think this is what makes life so incredibly amazing.  We make the mistake of not always appreciating all of the good things in our lives, we get lost in the day to day and sort of forget how great we really have it.  For me, when I look back to two years ago, I know that I was sort of lost.  Some major life changes had taken place and I wasn't exactly sure where I was going or how I was going to get there.  I knew there were things I wanted to do and I knew that the place I was in, was not where I wanted to stay, but I didn't know what steps to take to move forward.  

I don't know exactly when things started to turn around but I do know that there were people at every turn who pushed me, encouraged me, loved me and convinced my very stubborn self that I could do it.  I would not be where I am today without the support of my wonderful family and friends. Some days, that time two years ago seems like yesterday and other times, it seems like another lifetime entirely.  I am the happiest I've been in my life, I turn 38 in a few days (38!), I am in a wonderful, committed, amazing relationship with my partner Ann, I am growing my career as an artist, and life really seems open and full of endless possibilities.  I am happy.  

So on this Valentine's Day, I wish you the same, true happiness.

The Big Escapism Interview

Tomorrow is the big day.  At 1:30 p.m. I will log on to Skype and have my big interview for the Escapist Mentorship program.  The panelists are John Palmer, former Escapists and some of John's premier art collectors.

Four or five months ago when I decided to apply, I really had no expectations.  In my mind, hundreds were applying and I had a hard time believing I would stand out.  So I mailed my application on December 31st at 10:30am.  It was a Saturday, the post office was closing at noon and I had literally waited until the last minute to submit my artwork, essay and application.  I stood in line at the post office and said a silent prayer over my package, then I sort of put the whole thing out of my mind until I saw a few photos on Facebook.  I realized my application was there somewhere in Box A-G and freaked out a little.  And then last Friday at 2:14pm, I got the call. Actually, I missed the call because I was meeting with a client but when I checked the message an hour later, I got the best news I had had in some time.  It went a little something like this: "Hey Sonya, this is John Palmer....the jury for the Escapist Mentorship program did select your application for one of the finalists. Congratulations..."  I listened to it twice and then one more time.  I was at my studio by myself and I just could not believe it.  I almost started crying and then I called Ann and told her the good news.  I could hear myself saying the words, but was really just totally amazed and shocked.  

Being an artist can be hard, getting noticed, getting people to buy your work, finding places to show, etc., it can all be a bit overwhelming and there have been times when I've told myself that it just might not work out. This call last Friday reassured me that it's all worth it.  Even if I don't get chosen as one of the three Escapists for 2012, I know that I put myself out there and took a chance and that chance paid off.  I have a new found confidence in my work and myself as a person.  I resisted applying in the past out of fear but this year, my desire to be successful as an artist was bigger then my fear and look what happened!  

I encourage all of you out there to take a risk.  No matter what it is that you want, go for it.  I also encourage you all to send me good vibes tomorrow at 1:30!  Please and thank you.

 

Photo credit: John Palmer Art

Being shy is no fun.

I'm very shy.  I get nervous meeting new people, going to new places, trying new things. Really, having to do anything I've never done before sends me into a fit of anxiety.  I remember my first day of class at Glassell was nerve wracking.  I had resisted taking art classes for some time, and had my many reasons, but looking back, mostly it was just the idea of doing something new that made me extremely uncomfortable.  I remember my teacher teling us how we could do a critique each week, we would put up our work ON THE WALL and everyone would critique each other's work. This seemed, to me, like the worst thing ever.  And then came the whole having to do our assignment each week in class in front of other people. Gasp! I have always been very private and when it came to painting, I never shared the actual process with anyone.  I painted privately in the comfort of my own home.  I didn't let anyone see my work in process and even now, it's rare I let anyone see my work before it's totally finished. But times, they are a changing.  My life now is a bit different and getting out and meeting new people is becoming part of my normal life, it's hard, I don't like it, I get nervous, I sweat, I freak out and wonder how my hair looks, but I do it and somehow I live through it.  Sometimes I even have fun! This coming Saturday is Open Studios at my studio.  This means I put on my best face, try to look confident and comfortable and hopefully sell some art.  So, in honor of getting out there and fighting the shyness, I have attached a video of a painting I was commissioned to do.  Excuse the bad hair.  

As I mentioned above, this Saturday is Open Studios, so if you are free come on by.  It's from 2-5 p.m. and there will be wine and cheese.

Spring Street Studios, #222 (Top of the stairs)

1824 Spring Street, Houston 77007

New Year's Resolutions - One Day at a Time

Happy New Year!  

It's a good feeling, the new year.  A fresh start, new hope, promises for better things to come. It was a tough end of the year for my family, but thankfully, things are so much better now.  We have many reasons to be thankful.  I didn't even begin to think about New Year's resolutions until last night.  I regularly read a blog called Ben Does Life.  Check it out, it's fantastic, inspiring and funny.  Make sure you watch Ben's video I've linked below, it will get you off your butt like nothing else.  

His blog yesterday talked about setting small goals, "per month" resolutions, and I really liked that idea.  So...

Fitness is always at the top of the new year's list.  This year, it seems more important than ever to me. On top of an emergency heart surgery in the family, I found out I have high blood pressure.  There is no reason I should have it, my parents don't have it, I am not overweight and although my diet is not perfect, it's still relatively healthy.  I work out, I try and take care of myself, but still, my blood pressure is high.  High enough that my doctor put me on medication.  So, I will take my meds, but I also want to try and be as healthy as possible so that hopefully, I can go without taking the pills.  My friend Michelle stresses running and I don't like to run but I love the way it makes me feel AFTER I'm finished.  So I will run 27 miles by February 1st.  That's about 6 miles a week, or 3 miles twice a week, which for me is good.  I will plan to increase this number as the months go on. But slow and steady wins the race right?

So my January to February Resolutions start with:

 1. Run 27 miles (plus other cardio, weight training and riding my sweet bike)

Resolutions 2 - 6 are art related.  I (on the very last day possible) applied for the John Palmer Escapist Mentor Program. John Palmer is a very successful local artist who has created a wonderful program to help artists promote their careers. Only three artists are chosen out of hundreds and although I hope that I am chosen, no matter what, I still have lots of work to do to really elevate my career as an artist, so the remaining resolutions are:

2. PAINT - at a minimium, 10 new paintings by February 1st.

3. Two blog posts this month (here is number 1!)

4. Two posts per week to Facebook (art or photography related)

5. Four tweets per week (art or photography related)

So there it is.  Resolutions, one day and month at a time.  I feel good about this, it feels manageable.  Good luck with your resolutions, and don't be too hard on yourself.  Old habits are hard to break and new ones are hard to form, the good ones anyway.  

 Happy 2012.  

 

Be Who You Were Meant to Be

I came across the following this week and I really liked it.  I'm not guilty of all 10 of these but there are a few that stick out for me.  Number 2 actually made me laugh, I have given up trying to make my family understand what I do or why.  Number 1 is the one I really need to work on, I think it's normal but I find myself looking at everyone's work while we paint in class and during open studios, I walk around and look in on everyone else. Sometimes for inspiration and sometimes to see how I compare.  So I'm working on it. 

Source: drawn.ca via Sonya on Pinterest

Yesterday I spent 8 full hours in the studio.  Some days are frustrating and I really question myself, other days the creative juices are flowing and I lose all sense of time and end up covered in paint.  Yesterday had a little bit of both and it was wonderful. No matter what, ALL the time I know and feel that when I am painting, I am the me I was meant to be. 

Source: createfindadmire.tumblr.com via Sonya on Pinterest