A calling to creativity
I am pleased to introduce Teresa Cash as October's guest artist at Louise's ARTiculations.
In this month's post, Teresa remembers when she received the call to be creative and how her journey as an artist began.
Teresa reminds us to listen to our hearts, and to have the courage to start practising whatever is meaningful to us. Most importantly, her story is one of determination and perseverance in honing her true calling.
If you are interested in sharing your story as a creative, whether you are an urban sketcher, a photographer, or any other type of artist, please contact me.
Each month, I feature a different guest artist from around the world. This way, we can inspire each other along our own creative journeys.
It was a cold February day in 2011, a pivotal time, and I remember it vividly.
I had just celebrated my 58th birthday and I began to question if there was more to life than what I was experiencing.
Sitting in silence with my heart wide open, I beckoned to be shown what I was meant to do.
Etched in my mind was the “knowing” that I was meant to be creative. This is the day that my journey as an artist officially began.
I had never painted or drawn before, and I had no idea what to do or which direction to go. I committed simply to placing one foot in front of the other, and to keep moving forward, trusting that eventually, the path I was to follow would be revealed to me.
Following my heart
From that day onward, I felt I had a goal in mind: to become an artist.
Sometimes I listened and followed my heart, while at other times, I admit that I allowed fear to derail me.
However, when fear had me in its grip, I was determined to push through to the other side.
I am forever changed from that moment in 2011 when I decided to pursue this creative path.
Inspiration from successful artist
One of the first steps I took was to read artists' blogs. It seemed like a good idea to examine the evolution of each successful artist I admired.
Kelly Rae Roberts’ story inspired me the most. Soon after I started reading her blog post, my husband and I were on vacation in Sedona, AZ where I happened upon her art in a little store.
One particular artwork of hers spoke about “whispers in our lives want us to take notice” and “we must hold their possibilities close to our chest and allow them to step into the light”.
I felt these words were speaking directly to me. I read the passage everyday as a reminder of my own goal in becoming an artist.
And then I decided to publish a blog of my own http://www.asmilemaker.com so I could document my journey for myself, and for anyone else who needed to hear my story.
In August 2011, I realized I felt “little whispers” to draw, too. So I got out a pencil and a sheet of paper. Within 10-15 minutes my first face appeared. I was beyond excited!
This cemented even more, in my mind, that I was to be an artist. I continued to listen to my heart and to follow where I was led.
Today, I am a self-taught mixed media artist with many hours spent in my studio refining my craft.
I earn a living selling my art and leading creative workshops.
Inspirational and thought provoking ideas
Most times, all we need is to be pointed in a new direction. I know how important it was for me to read Kelly Rae Roberts' encouraging words in 2011.
I want my art to help others in the same way that Kelley’s art helped me.
My art is forever changing and evolving, yet my purpose remains the same: creating inspirational art depicting Simple Truths/Simple Reminders to perhaps serve as a beacon of light in those "not so bright" times.
As a portrait artist I am learning more everyday. I am currently working with charcoal and PanPastels. Every face, every expression is so different.
Current artistic projects
The Smile Project honors the value and importance of a smile. Each of us has a story we could tell about how a smile, given or received, changed the course of events in our life, if only for a moment.
People send me a photo of themselves smiling, and I paint/draw them with charcoal and add them to my collection. You can view them here:
http://www.asmilemaker.com/p/smile-project.html
I want to continue to help others allow their creative spirit out to play and to show them they too can draw more than a stick person.
I draw faces on tea bags. My next goal is to teach on-line classes so to get comfortable doing that I committed to taping myself creating Tea Bag Art Tuesday.
You can find the videos on my blog or on my YouTube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/teresacashart
http://www.asmilemaker.com/p/tea-bag-art.html
Recently I completed 15 segments of UNCENSORED-Raw and Real. I videotaped myself creating an acrylic painting of my Mother and I when I was a baby. You can view these videos at www.youtube.com/teresacashart
If you wish, leave a comment in the box after this post. If you would like to follow me, visit the links below. I would be thrilled to hear from you!
Website: http://www.teresacashart.com
Blog: http://www.asmilemaker.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/teresacashart
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teresacashart
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/teresacashart
Email: teresa@terescashart.com