Some of you have been following on a journey that took me on a personal journey inward. I felt a strong calling in March (when COVID stopped our lives) to go inward. Maybe it was because it was something I could control or maybe this was the plan all along.
This journey took me in as a curious bystander to an active participant in my own life. As a woman of faith I initially struggled to go into this “inner self” thinking but found that it mirrored what I have been trying to live my whole life and it married into my faith perfectly. This can be another blog in and of itself. However I want to let you know how it’s changed me as an artist.
- Art for me– doing this inner work has allowed me to make art for no other purpose other than it makes me happy. We get stuck as artists wondering how an idea or piece might fit into your aesthetic or IG feed or honestly, if it will add green to your bottom line. This time around I said, nah, I just want to paint because it makes me happy and that’s resonated so well with so many of you as well.
- Art with a purpose– you all know this is a big one for me. What I noticed was the more I asked for this kind of work ( and unfortunately the dire state of our nation) made it possible for me to marry my social obligation with my art. I wanted to be able to help in a way that I knew how and that was contributing art to social justice causes close to my heart. The reward of helping humankind was greater than any monetary payment.
- Art with a plan– planning (wha wha) I know this doesn’t sound appealing. I am a 2w1 sometimes, 1w2 Enneagram so you would think it would sound appealing to me. Not at all; in my art I felt the freer the better. What I misunderstood was that planning didn’t necessarily mean constraints. If I want to plan a series I can plan to set time to think about what I want to paint, and give myself that time not necessarily telling me what to paint.
2020 has kicked out all my previous plans and replaced them with something better. It’s not what I expected (I’m sure I’m not alone in this sentiment) but the insight received has been tremendous.
My hope is that you start to take notice of that transformation in what you see on my feed and website. Please share what you’ve been doing since March 13th!
With love + light,
C.B. Escribe