Thank you for your personal story Janet,
It is always nice to see the human being behind the words. To me, it is the struggle that creates the person. When one accepts the odds, ad doesn't fold up, one grows. Today I had an interesting experience. I am a part-time English teacher in Shanghai China. About two weeks ago the main owner of the school ran away with the months salaries for every one from the floor sweepers and school bus drivers to the teachers and management. There were parts of me that just didn't want to be in the studio, or anywhere for that matter as I couldn't concentrate without feeling negative. Still, I went into the studio for for a few hours each, and with extra attention was able to do what I felt was very sensitive work.
What is my connection between this topic and portraiture? Our artwork is a meditative process. When we are at our highest moments spiritually in the studio, we have the possibility to transform the pains of life into beautiful images. I cannot help believing Michelangelo must have been a different person spiritually after completing the Sistine Chapel than he was before he began. It is easy enough to look at the later areas of the painting to see his growth artistically, but I am thinking more of the inner man. How much did he grow through the transformation of the many pains of being up there on the scaffold over the years. (Especially when the air conditioner wasn't working.)
Janet, your story is special. You are living your pains and not letting them stop you. You will become a new person through the process. It is my opinion that that is the greatest place to grow in this field. Good luck.
Anthony
(Sometimes Rocky is a good movie for motivation.)
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