Can this really be happening?!
If you had asked me two years ago what my life would look like, I would never have said the words "mother" or "artist", yet here I am, a mother of a beautiful, hilarious, loveable tub of goo named Sophie AND an artist with my very own website.
I still find it kind of strange to call myself an artist. When I was a little girl, I wanted to either write or illustrate children's books. I was either reading or drawing all the time. Somewhere along the way, reading won out and I became an English major in college. I wanted to find a way to get paid to read and discuss books. I found a way (and a passion) by tutoring and teaching English to children with learning differences for thirteen years. But even while making a living immersed in text, I was always searching for a creative outlet. Decoupage, sewing, refurbishing old furniture for an antique booth. I even fancied myself as a milliner for a brief period, taking lessons from an elderly lady named Orcelia in East Nashville.
Painting was a pipe dream. A little thought bubble that would pop up now and then. I remember watching Bob Ross on PBS when I was young and imagining myself painting lush landscapes with happy little trees. But I was intimidated. I was more crafty than artsy, I thought.
And life got in the way. I became engrossed in my job, eventually directing the program I worked for. The craft room (now studio) gathered dust. I closed my antique booth. I took my work home with me every night. I couldn't sleep. My creative juices dried up.
So I quit my job. Took a weekend painting class with some girlfriends. And I found myself happier than I had been in years. And to top it all off, people wanted to buy my paintings. I am still in awe of that...honored, humbled, amazed, blessed.
That, of course, is the short version of the story. The longer version involves a spiritual roller coaster and becoming a first-time mother after 15 years of marriage. But God's timing is perfect. He was faithful while I searched and grappled and He answered prayers of desparation and confusion. It is no accident that crosses figure prominently in my work. He gave me new life AGAIN.
"Forget the former things. Do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a NEW THING. Now it springs up; Do you not perceive it?" Isaiah 43: 18-19
Thank you for being part of this "new thing"...
Blessings,
Emily
