Someday, I’m going to get back to my art. I know I have a novel in me. I don’t have time now, but when I retire…when the kids are grown…when…

What we need to do to move ourselves from someday to now can be different for each person. But it always takes work and courage.

Few are born prodigies. Most creativity – painting, writing, textiles, sculpture, graphics, design, music, acting… is work.

If you are having trouble taking your own work seriously, believing you have something to offer and especially believing that you have the right to your creative time, you are not alone.

Here are some steps to help you find time and space for your art:

Focus
Make a commitment. If not now, when?

Find your passion, even it’s just for now. What is it that makes you excited? Go in that direction. Along the way you may change your mind, or you may expand your horizons, but start – from where you are, right now.

Write a mission statement – take time to define and clarify what you value. A personal mission statement gives you a sense of purpose. It defines who you are and how you will interact with your creative self. It guides your actions and your choices.

Define what you do

 Brand yourself. Be aware of what you’re good at, what you like to do, and
concentrate on it. It takes practice to make progress.

Be open to possibilities. Sometimes, you find you are good at more than one thing, or that your interests and skills may expand. Branding is not a box.  Allow for growth.

Create a space

Defend your workspace, your work time and your mental space. Don’t let             anyone move in. I know your kids want to do their homework there, or your friend wants you to go out for coffee to talk about your hobby. Take your creative time and space seriously.

Transition

Getting started can be the hardest. Figure out when is your best time to work.

Do things that move you toward starting. Is it a room? A piece of clothing,  (your painter’s smock?), a time of the day when your studio has the best  lighting, a frame of mind you can pull up that makes you start working?

Realize that getting into your right brain means leaving all the other must-dos behind for a period of time.

Resist

Self doubt – turn off the inner critic and just work. Believe that you can, and you will.

When destructive self-criticism creeps in, resist engaging in that              conversation.

Strive to be the best you can, but resist perfectionism. They call it the creative  process, because it is a process. Accuracy is not the same thing as the kind of standards that paralyze us.   If you are not happy with what you are doing, walk away or put it away. Don’t throw it away. Later of tomorrow or even weeks and months from now, you may have a different perspective.                        

Resist guilt. What you are doing right now is good enough. Don’t let shoulds creep into your work time.

Stay away from negative people.

Don’t allow yourself to isolate. This creative self is a part of who you are. Share it or at least share your dreams with someone you trust.

Resist competitiveness. Honest competition – submitting your work, is a valid challenge, but don’t compete or compare. We all have our own creative lens through which we see the world. Yours is as valid as anyone else’s. Art is subjective.

Embrace

Honest critiques. Find people who understand what you are trying to do and try to see your work through their eyes. It can only make you better.

Encouragement keeps us going. Notice when someone responds positively             and enjoy the fact that you are developing fans.

Find a supportive environment – take a class, join a gallery or a writer's group. Have like-minded, creative types in your life.

Separate from your work

You are not your product. When you market yourself pretend you are             supporting a very dear friend whose art you love. Market your work as if             someone else had done it.

We must, at some time, let go of our darlings, and allow someone else interact with them, to form their own relationship. That’s the magic. That’s the payoff for being brave and believing in and being responsible for your talents.

Our work is imbued with meaning that may or may not be what was intended or may be more than we had hoped for.

All black cats are not the same, nor are their portraits.

My first black cat painting of Venus was done many years ago, when I was in High School.
I kindly refer to the finished oil as Outsider Art. I was learning.
Felicity,  now a mature women, posed for me  when she was young and spunky. Her coat is short, with only a few undertones of brown. I kept the background simple and colorful to put the emphasis on the lines of her body.
The day I met Nikolas, he tolerated a few photos and then allowed me to  follow him outside. It was there that I saw the beautiful copper shimmering through his thick black coat and noticed that his alert yellow eyes were flecked with violet.
Nikolas is in his senior years, but as he wandered in his garden, I sensed the intensity of a younger, adventuresome cat.
His owner described him as an "Alaskan Shed Cat."  Like a few fortunate,  feral felines, he won the "little kitty lottery." On a cold day in Wrangell, Alaska, the five week old kitten found his way onto the boat and into the hearts of a couple passing through who were searchng for a cat to adopt.
"We worried that he wouldn't be tame enough, that he'd jump off the boat," Sue, his owner said. "But once inside, he curled up and went to sleep." Nick became a "boat cat" traveling well beyond his humble origins.
I imagined that my third black cat, now a grand gentleman,  would enjoy being captured in a wilder setting - a place where the sun catches the splendor of his fur and in surroundings that reflect his ongoing explorations.

While I was cleaning out my garage recently, I found this and several other oil paintings that were done when I was in high school. The TV antennae gives you an idea of how old this is.
I photographed it and pulled it into Photoshop. Could I have ever imagined this transformation?