Painting as a Healing Endeavor

Recently, a woman who found me on Instagram called me and told me that after going through cancer treatment last year she emerged knowing she had to paint. She had always loved collecting art and was inspired by my colors, florals and abstracts and wanted to learn. We had a wonderful conversation about the desire to create and she put it so well, "If you feel the need to create, to express something and you don't let that out and express it, I think it can make you sick." There may or may not be a direct correlation but I do know (and my friends and family know) that I'm happier and healthier when I'm creating.

I asked my social media fans and followers in a poll about a year ago, "What are your biggest obstacles to creating?" I thought the first would be time and the second would be fear but fear was overwhelmingly the biggest obstacle. Isn't that interesting? We are afraid and yet there is nothing dangerous about painting! That's why I say if you want to paint, just get some basic materials and start! Even if you get just a few colors and play with mixing them to learn about color is a great, simple exercise. If you have no desire to paint, well then, be an art collector!