Feeling Good In Your Own Skin

Art Foundations class

This took some time for me to feel before I could affirm myself as an artist. Not that I felt that I wasn't. It's just that I felt I needed to earn the title to be able to call myself an artist. It had to be part of my make-up in living, in doing, in making art. 

Interestingly, looking back across time and the trajectory of my life, I've always been an artist. It just took me time to fully embrace myself as one, to fully recognize and appreciate my own life and how I’ve lived it.

I felt good about my work as I explored painting and printmaking and sculpture in high school. It felt right. I attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City as an illustration major. I remember talking to one of the other students about it, how I wasn’t comfortable with affirming myself as artist at the time. He fired back that he was. I appreciated his confidence, but wasn’t sure it was true. I mean, you can take someone’s word for it, but how would you really know? It needs to be in the skin. Weight and authority show through. It’s not just words.

Anybody can say anything, call themselves by any title but just because I say something is some way doesn’t necessarily make it so. I believe in positive affirmations and manifestation but I’m talking about a different level here, about essence not output.

We pay attention. People can misrepresent themselves, mis-assess their capabilities, too. I saw this a lot with learners of English who regularly assessed their levels as higher than it was.

Being an artist isn’t just going through the act of making art even if the resultant work is done well.

It’s being.

Being is not from the outside in. It's inside out.

It takes time to grow into who we are. If you’re not there yet, give yourself time. Appreciate your moments and live them well. Be present.

Esoteric Empress

I'm an artist and vocal trainer and coach. I help you along your path to be confident, present, and speak your truth.

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