Introducing - Vol. 2 – June 2020 – TBD

If you know me or have been following along with my art you would remember my last line was called “Down the Rabbit Hole” August 2018-February 2020. My new line called “Vol. 2” means as it’s read. I don’t believe in new chapters anymore when you really want to follow the steps you were meant to. Sometimes you just have to open a whole new sketch book to find where to draw the lines. In 2020, from March to June I went through what most artists suffer from and that is “painter’s block”. This is due to many factors circulating around my personal life and the current events of the year 2020 itself. During my painter’s block stage, I was unable to focus on really anything other than survival on my own and the need to help others way of thinking during these times by creating a movement called Project Interconnect in efforts to help form unity in the City of Memphis. I’m not the only vocal one out there as there are many individuals working together to make a difference. I joined a collaborative of other artists that I call family and we call ourselves “Indie Artists’ Market and Collaborative”. We’re a team of creative minds working together for the community in return is therapy to us when we collaborate and create. Join me in the Vol. 2 Adventure in art and “day in the life of”. My life is an open book to help others, follow me on Instagram @norachilders_art to see what me and my friends are up to, what I eat for lunch, projects I’m working on, completed pieces, pop up sales on my work, what my pets think about me and more.

The Great Artist "Funk"

If you're an artist of any kind I encourage you to read this.

"What is your inspiration?" My response is everything and it truly is. It's taken me quite a while to get back into the world of art. I always fall back into it it seems. I can try my best to run in the opposite direction of it but I'm always pulled back to it like it's some giant magnet pulling me in. I can't imagine life without art and viewing art. There is something about it that is therapeutic and there, of course, have been comparisons to show that art therapy is "a thing". I noticed after I got out of my "funk", years of looking the other way from the art I felt low and essentially depressed. I recognized this is what I’m supposed to do. When I talk to my mom about it that also paints, she said that true artists experience things like this at least a few times in their lives. Below are some conflicts I faced;

Fear of the Mess

“My house isn’t clean enough” reason I needed my house clean before I started a project is, in my head I couldn’t imagine making another mess as I know how some mediums can be very messy.

Ducks in a Row

I was browsing through the web as I like to read quotes from time to time and noticed a couple that stuck out.

“You’re never going to be 100% ready and it’s never going to be just the right time, but that’s the point. It means that every moment is also the right moment. If you want it, you just have to do it.” -Unknown

“It’s risky, it’s scary. It could all fall apart, but what if it all falls together?” - Abirami Sivakumar

My art room is a catch-all room now :/

Take a couple of days and look at your room of art. What is in there that is not art related? If it has nothing to do deal with art get it out of there and put it somewhere else in the house. I would start with like items so you can create locations for them. I noticed if I don’t have all my mediums organized and labeled, I get frustrated when I can’t find them. But start small. Let’s say you want to play with acrylics today? Gather all the acrylic tubes and anything you would use acrylic for and label uses and organize those items. Next time you want to acrylic paint all your stuff is ready to go. The same goes with the rest but focus on one medium at a time. Make sure you have plenty of shelving in your art room. I find going up the wall is so much easier for me to stay organized as I don’t have a very large space to paint in. I don’t always paint in my art room. If it’s a nice sunny weekend morning, I like to enjoy my coffee in the kitchen and play with my acrylic inks or as my boyfriend is playing the guitar in the living room or watching a movie I’m not necessarily interested in I’ll have my small easel set up. I set up in different areas of the house so I can feel a little more socialized at times. I can easily go into my art room for four hours or more at a time and not come out but to go potty and grab a glass of wine or a bit of food.

Fear

Fear of what playing with a new medium for the first time and wasting loads of money on supplies if I make errors and what people thought about my pieces when I’m finished. Well, I had to break from these demons making feel blank like a stark white canvas on the inside as I would stare at one or walk by it a few times a week.

Facing Criticism

I grew up with criticism so I’m pretty okay with taking it as the skin thickens over the years. I see criticism as a time for opportunity and improvement, not quitting and doing something completely different because I’ve tried this and it didn’t work because art keeps calling me. I’ve met people that would say things, “I don’t like this piece but I like this other one better.” Well, I don’t ask why they don’t like it because someone else will walk by that same painting and say the complete opposite in reverse. All art is truly in the “eyes of the beholder, and everyone will have their own interpretation.” says B.A. Bucchianeri. So why are we so afraid of what anyone thinks about us? I’ve noticed when I paint whatever I want and not have to face admiration from anyone my best work comes out. Now, if you’re in art class the objective is to follow your assignments as it is school. If you’re given a book to write an essay on you would in return write the essay on that particular book, not whatever book you wanted.

In a nutshell…

I woke up one day and said… “Dang it, I’m going to art and I’m going to play with any medium I want and take a chance on wasting the expensive stuff and not care what anyone thinks because that’s none of my business anyway.”

Hope you enjoyed this. Please share with a friend suffering from extreme doubt, I hope this restores a few to get back out there and try again.