So here we are! My first KHArt blog post. Are you ready?
Before the magic happens, here’s a couple notes on what’s ahead. First, the goal of this blog will be to post one entry, once a week, for an entire year. So…Yikes. My fear-of-commitment monster is already peeking out from behind my laptop with big gold eyes. Yet, I believe challenges are healthy. So onward! Second, this blog will focus on my art process, meaning everything that goes into making my artwork. In my recent program at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), I learned an important lesson about making art: you can’t really separate it from your “real” life. Every minute of my job, my commute, my conversations, my taste in Netflix shows… all factor into what I make. So, with a little reflection and storytelling, I look forward to giving you, my readers, a peek at why I make things the way that I do. So here we go!
Today, I felt an unexpected lightbulb pop on. On my final day, I looked back at the past 100 pieces I’ve made as part of the “100 Day Project,” a collective challenge among artists on Instagram to create one piece of artwork for 100 days. Scrolling through my Instagram account, I saw the variety of materials and content I’d made. Pastels, colored pencil, graphite pencil, ballpoint pen, felt tip pen, sharpie, watercolor paint, oil paint, fabric collage, paper collage, mixed media collage, paper, canvas – PHEW! Talk about using all the tools in the toolbox. But after a few moments of feeling proud, I also felt disappointed.
I’ve noticed that the most successful artists have cohesive work. Consistent themes look professional and focused. But just about every other day in my “100 day” portfolio, my work changed.
Then I started to think about my creative process in general. One of my favorite things about art is throwing two things together that I’ve never tried before. I’ll mix oil paint with black ink (not so successful) or paint black ink over pastel (very cool actually). It’s energizing to let my spontaneity run wild, grabbing random materials and mashing them together. Isn’t that pretty much the definition of creativity?
Then I also remembered my resume, which is definitely a mixed bag. Clinical Research Nurse, Flower Shop Customer Service Rep, Architecture Firm Office Manager, AP Biology Tutor, Brain Injury Rehab Nurse... When potential employers ask me about my work history, I’ll admit even I have a hard time explaining it. One thing it always comes back to, however: it just felt right. I needed to leave nursing after one year and do something else. I needed to work in different environments. I can’t really explain it, but it needed to happen.
Piecing my way through the past six years has felt a bit like working in my art studio. There are buckets of supplies around me, many different ways I can go. I grab the ones I need, and layer. This one, then that one. I’m not sure of the end product, but I’m creating a life from my heart.
All of this makes me look at my portfolio differently. Especially when I think about all of the people, my family in particular, who watched my journey and trusted me. I know it takes trust to find my direction in life, trust in myself and trust in God’s plan for me. And ultimately, I think that same trust applies to the artwork I create. No matter what I make in the future, I shouldn’t be too critical of what I’ve made in the past. The randomness probably isn’t random. Every move has its place.
Thank you for reading my blog! A major takeaway from my recent art program was the value of thoughtful conversations. There is a wildly stimulating conversation going on and I want to contribute to it. Join me. Shoot me a comment or question. Let’s meet for coffee. Let’s talk about it.