May 2017 – Your Prayer Coach

It is time to come out, after forty years in the wilderness. I am talking about my artistic pursuits. The spirit of an artist was kept inside me for a long time.

The earliest that I can remember drawing something, was when I was three years old. I can vividly recall sketching stick figures of people. My Godfather, who walked with a limp visited our house. My mother tended to my little brother while I entertained my Godfather with my drawings. It seemed to me that they were both impressed with my ability.

As a little girl, I went to church armed with pen and paper. I sat with my cousin Nelly, who was a little older than me. We would draw while pretending to listen to the sermon. There were two other girls there who also drew. They were so good that I tried to remember how they drew the whole figure, so I can be good like them. Eventually, drawing could no longer hold our attention and off we would go exploring the neighborhood stores with our cousin, Jun.

I was drawing all the time. I drew pictures of houses, people, flowers, clothes, and artistic fonts. My favorite subjects in school were art and music. My classmates were my models. They were also my encouragers since they provided the positive reinforcement. I played with my brothers and friends but when downtime came, I could be found sitting in my Dad’s office chair by the window, drawing with all my might.

When I was in high school, I remembered how I always felt a little bit of jealousy toward my classmates and my brothers, who took art as their elective. I thought I should take algebra or Spanish since I am going to college.

I would ultimately embark on a nursing career and forget about art. Nursing became my life. I accepted the fact that I wasn’t meant to become an artist. Doodling was the extent of my artwork. For the next forty years, I focused on my career, finding a husband, and raising my family. It seemed that something was missing so I tried sewing, selling on eBay, becoming a travel agent, writing a book, gardening, crocheting, blogging, and joining Toastmasters International. Although my artistic side would show through in whatever I was doing, I never really thought of pursuing it. All my children had artistic abilities but my older son, Kurt, became an excellent artist.

In 2016, I became interested in painting. I mentioned it to my children and they encouraged me to pursue it. I always wondered about the outcome.

January 1, 2017, came. I started my first painting from a youtube tutorial. I enrolled at Sofia Art Academy for a 10-hour course. In addition to youtube videos, I also take online classes. I want to free the genie that is inside me!