100 things part 30...being an artist

I think I'm going to enjoy writing this one...

When I was a child, I grew up with a mother who was (and still is) INCREDIBLY talented as an artist. She could draw anything, paint anything and craft anything. My older brother was the same way. I never felt that as a child I could draw anything and my mother made such a big deal over my brother's artwork that I felt, well substandard.

I know how ridiculous that sounds now but just bear with me.

When other kids would invite their parents to school for career day, to talk about becoming a doctor, or a lawyer, or a teacher, I would invite my mother to career day to talk about art. Needless to say, she wowed them every time.

I was so proud to have a mom who could make me anything I wanted. I wanted to be able to do that.

It took me years, many years, to figure out that I could.

Now theatre is my art, through and through. But it's all the aspects of theatre that have made me realize something:

I am JUST LIKE MY MOM. I'm proud of that.

When my daughter started getting into drawing and painting and she would ask me to help her, I always felt like no matter what I did, I wouldn't be able to do what she asked. Draw me a person, Mommy. Can you help me make this house? I was afraid I would fail.

But art is truly in the eyes of the beholder.

Lighting is my art. Always has been. Painting a set with colors and patterns, that's art. Most people don't look at it that way but think about it. The set with its many moving parts and basic paint job to make it what it is, well that's the base. Your lights are what sculpt it into the real picture. You can do an entire show in just plain white light and STILL it becomes something. How you cut the lights, how you arrange the lights--that's what makes it comes to life.

Art has become so much more to me. Coloring---oh coloring. I love to color. I have so many pieces of artwork at my desk currently that I have fallen in love with. Not to mention an obnoxiously large collection of Sharpies to color them with. I love that I can just take a black and white drawing and transform it into a work of art. My vision and mine alone make something so plain come to life.

Being an artist is a true expression of your hopes, your dreams, your fears, and your battles. Being an artist enables me to be free. There's no judgements in art, only your own. That is the only thing that matters.