My Pastel Butterfly

I wish I still had a picture of it. Actually I wish I had kept it. I was in fourth grade. We had to draw a picture in pastels. I drew a butterfly. It certainly was not perfect but I remember using a different color for each of the sections of the wing and the body was yellow. It was pretty and bright. To my surprise I won first place in the art contest with it that year. The only award I ever won for art.

I remember loving art when I was a child. I was always doodling something, making my name in bubble letters on my notebooks, and even though I could barely draw stick people that didn't matter. I had fun. And then life got in the way. A crazy childhood, my parents divorce, becoming a widow at 25 and then breast cancer at 31. I went to college for a degree in occupational therapy and worked for almost 20 years in that field. Then I started writing. And most recently back in February of this year I picked up a paintbrush for the first time. And I haven't put it down since.

My life after cancer has been tough at times but what I have found is how much creativity helps me deal with stuff that comes with that. It helps me deal with the fear I live with. It gets me to a nice place in my head and quiets my mind. I get lost in those moments with my camera or with my paintbrush. And although I am just beginning I am enjoying the process. I am having fun learning the how to's and seeing all that I am capable of which is more than I ever imagined.

So I have decided to write all about it here. This is my art journal. I will be sharing my photography, my art, and all things creative that I am working on. And I look forward to meeting and getting to know you along the way!

When did you know you loved art? Do you remember your first art project? Were you hooked from that point?