Day 2

All my life I said I was not artistic. I could not draw things that resembled other things. I could not paint. I could not . . .

I was always crafty. I made ribbon barrettes in grade school and tried to sell them in a store. In high school I sewed little rosettes on to T-shirts and sold them. I always enjoyed making stuff. It was what I did.

When I started making jewelry, I began to see ways in which I was making art. I was painting in the way that I combined stones. I was sculpting when I twisted wire.

Once I changed my definition of artistic, I became an artist. Was I ever going to be the next Monet or Picasso? No of course not. But it didn't matter. I could make art in my own way.

Part of this year long challenge is pushing my creative boundaries. I am going to paint. I am going to draw. Maybe what I am painting or drawing won't look exactly like what it's supposed to look like. But again I'm okay with that.

I'm starting off making the ATCs because they are small. They are confined. And in that way they are freeing. I won't have to worry about filling in all the space. I can just experiment.