Lessons learned in 2010: cheerleaders & belly button fuzz coasters

For most of my adult life, I didn’t show anyone anything I made. I didn’t sign things. My face turned red & I started stammering if anyone referred to me as an artist. My initial efforts to develop this part of myself were to help ‘Out of the Woods’ by selling pet portraits & donating part of the money I made to help rescue homeless animals. I really didn’t expect much. I certainly didn’t expect to be shipping art to people I have never met who live halfway across the country.

As with every chance we take and every big change we make in our lives, hopefully there will be people who will be positive and supportive and non-judgmental. People who help you believe that you really can accomplish anything, and without even sounding like cheerleaders just point out matter-of-factly that yes… you can paint the cat. You SHOULD paint the cat.

I am lucky enough to have a few very special people who have encouraged every new idea that has popped into my creative little head over the last 2 years. People who I firmly believe would cheer for me if I fashioned a set of coasters from belly button fuzz… not because they want a set, but because they recognize that making things makes me happier that I ever could have imagined. It makes me, well… me. You know who you are, and I thank you.

Unfortunately, for every encouraging person you find, you will likely find as many who are quite the opposite. People who question or openly criticize your efforts or your projects… individuals who roll their eyes when you refer to yourself as an artist, or a singer, or a circus performer, or whatever it is that makes you happy. Constant negativity can easily become a habit, especially for people who are unhappy with their own lives. Especially if they find other people for whom negativity has become a habit. Don’t take it personally, but don’t subject yourself to it anymore than you have to.

This year I learned to purposefully surround myself with as many as I could of the former and as few as possible of the latter. In 2011 I wish the same for you.