Winter break is coming to an abrupt end for many college students, right now. To some it is incredibly daunting, and to others it is a chance to start anew. To me it is somewhat a mixture of both. I am getting caught up in the fear any Art Education major will eventually go through…our time to student teach. Fear and excitement run through me every single day. Recently, due to the drastic change that is about to occur in my college career, I have decided to take a look back through my work from my 4 years at Marywood and before. Each piece has it’s own story and it’s own place in my heart. Going back to where it all began is emotional any way you choose to look at it. I have taken this journey back in time as my sign to kick my career into high gear. The work that means so much to me is cramped in portfolios and in small rooms of my house. In my head I see it displayed on every wall of my house but we get to a point where that just isn’t realistic anymore. Therefore, I have decided to withhold my fear and to start anew as well; to sell my work to both allow it a good home and to get myself motivated to create even more.
In the last 24 hours I have made online posts, shared photos with potential customers, and have put my name and my work out there for people to see. The process is frightening but the result is unbelievably fulfilling. I find it so difficult to part with some pieces, however. Some hold in them so much of who I am as an artist and a human being that I almost don’t want to let them go. A good friend of mine told me, though, that I need to think of it as my work being in someone’s private collection. It will adorn the walls of their home for them to enjoy; the alternative being that they live in a life of captivity in a bag in my house. This warmed my heart and made it easier to deal with sharing myself with someone else. We make our Art to tell the story of who we are, what we experience in our lives, and what has inspired us along the way. If the walls in my life are too full for all of my work, then I am glad to allow someone else to enjoy it. A lot of love goes into my art making process, so I am humbled that people are willing to experience and love it as well. So, for that, I thank you.
Always remember that going back may actually propel you into changes that you have always wanted to make but maybe didn’t know how. The answers to what we ultimately want to accomplish are sometimes hidden in plain sight, and it takes a moment of doubt to see your true potential.