Amy's Thought's On All Things About Becoming A Professional Emerging Artist

April is my birthday month and I gave myself the present of continuing education.  As an artist I have periods of artistic growth that occur through many paintings being created, yet also I am aware when I have need of additional skills.

Yes, sometimes, The Good Lord steps in and completes a task for me when I have hit a roadblock on a painting, or I say dear God, I just need to set this aside for the right timing.  Both have happened to me, as well as being awakened to paint, and being told that I would "paint bigger than I ever imagined".  

I had thought these things happen to many artists and have found a group where I believe it does.  At least some have reported knowing when they were being helped on a painting when stepping out in faith to paint it.

Speaking about this one day, my mentor for marketing, and hopefully a friend, Matt Tommey, stated that we as artists are called to "co-labor with God".  That was a new phrase to me, yet having been told after being faithful, about painting bigger than I had imagined, I believed in the detail of what he was saying, and realized I had done so in faith when told.

However,  Matt Tommey implied that we are to do it daily, weekly, or at least more consistently than we had been dong it for growth to occur.  He says it's like turning hobby habits into professional habits.  So 2020 was a year of , "cultivating "my" art", and I use the word "my" loosely as Jesus holds the key.

Now I have come to the time when I see that my art can be improved by something I hadn't had but one course of instruction in during my college days.  That something, is , draftsmanship skills, or as I like to say....I'm taking additional beginning drawing classes, 4 to be precise this year.

  Just as Erich Rhodes, tells us to use this time to paint, paint, paint, and stay out of news scrolling to ensure this  "time in our world" doesn't sidetrack our mind, I have found that in "cultivating my art", over 2020, that I was able to identify areas where the Holy One may want me to improve to better develop my talents and gifts, He gave me.

Simply because we have vaccines on earth now, don't forget to examine your growth over 2020.  Assess where He is leading you and your art, and welcome His new opportunities.

Keep Smiling, Keep Painting or creating and finding ways to give an encouraging word or a helping hand., and have some fun, too!

Love,

Amy Carter Ishmael 

PS  The image is of a painting pre-drawing class, from last April of 2020, and next month I'll post one after completing my 4th "refresher" drawing lesson  this evening.