I had a quiet moment of knowing this morning; a knowing that I was not living up to my full artist potential.

   It was not intended as a blast or insult, just a gentle nudge to keep going, to stay focused and to dig a little deeper. Like a whisper on a crisp morning breeze: “there is more to you than you are experiencing.” I was still enough to hear it, to feel it’s coolness against my cheek, and to accept its wisdom!

In one way or another, I suspect that we all fall short of our full potential, it is just human nature. We are either uninspired, tired, lazy or just too busy to look beyond the day-to-day routine. We go to bed exhausted thinking we have given it our all, yet there is a spark that lays dormant within us. A spark of exhilaration, of joy, of longing, of potential.

I too can be guilty of being uninspired or bored or lazy, but truthfully I think it all comes down to just one thing…fear! I restrict my art to what is comfortable, to what I know and to where my hands automatically go. Even when I want to create something large or grand or just different, I wind up creating a slightly different version of the same thing. It’s not that I lack the skill but rather the courage.

There is a quiet undertow of fear lying just below the surface, ever so gently bumping up against the bottom of the boat, a constant reminder that it is there waiting. Waiting for that spark to awaken, to be inspired to have hope; only to rein it in and douse its flame.

It is my hope that in writing this blog and presenting my artwork to the world,  I will be able to still the voice of fear that lays within me and allow my creative spark to burn true. Embrace my courage and reach my full artistic potential!