Part of being embracing your creativity is the time or phase when a project comes to an end. You get to step back, admire your handy-work, and think about what you gained from the process.

For this painting, I particularly wanted to experiment with pallet knife painting, and I did! Almost all of the paint on this canvas was applied with a pallet knife. I stippled (is this a made-up word?), smeared, poked, and plain old caked paint on. My intention was to simply keep moving to see what would happen. Even more importantly I was focused on not being afraid to take a next step. There was nothing on that canvas that couldn’t be fixed. Yes, even if the solution meant throwing out the canvas and starting over. And in that case, I would have learned what NOT to do!

The finished product is now hanging in my office at Tallahassee Community College. I love it not because I think it’s particularly beautiful, but because of the creative process it represents. To me, it visually signifies that I believe in taking time for myself, I believe in the power to create, and I believe in the value of trying something new, regardless of our perceived limitations.

I am slowly accepting myself as an artist. I think the next step is to accept myself as a healer, for the creative process most assuredly heals…a topic for another post.