Didn't Know You Could Draw

One day my daughter was helping me clean out a closet.  When she came across a couple of my drawings from high school, she exclaimed, "I didn't know you could draw!"  Funny things we don't much reveal about ourselves.  It is also very telling to me that drawing and creating is hard for me to find time for.


Is it hard for me to find the time or rather that I need to practice giving myself permission.  Goodness sakes...THAT is why we so longed as children to become adults.  We wanted to control our own destiny.

Recently, I realized why it is hard to make my drawing a priority.  Creating of any kind must come of true freedom lest it become manufacturing.  This is the very reason I have resisted the temptation to make my art my livelihood.  I reserve my creations for myself.  But, I run a business that serves to inspire others.  Isn't that "using" my art to create my work?  No.  My day-to-day is managing a business.  If I do a good job, my staff and I enjoy enough freedom that we are able to afford the opportunity to work in a business where we can inspire others to give themselves the time to create.

When you paint a room, if you don't get paint on yourself, that would be fairly unusual.  My work is like painting a room.  I expect at the end of the day I will likely be covered with as much paint as the drop cloths in the room.  Creating is like that.  Work to inspire others and you too will be inspired.

I like to create all kinds of things but lately have been called back to my favorites...india ink and simple line drawings.  I am seeing my designs getting carried to my machine quilting.  Then I was SO excited to see a new embroidery design collection that embodies my drawings.  I made placemats for my daughters with the Zenspirations embroidery collection.  This was too much fun to watch my sewing machine go off in her own drawing frenzy!

Wishing You All the Best,  jill