As Canadian Thanksgiving approaches, I think about all I have to be thankful for. I’m so grateful for so much in my life! I really am a lucky gal! I\u2019m grateful for all those I love and who love me, I\u2019m grateful to live where I live (Victoria, BC, Canada), I\u2019m grateful to have been born and brought up in Jamaica, I\u2019m grateful to be financially stable, I\u2019m grateful for travel opportunities, I\u2019m grateful to live in a world with internet which allows me to share what I know with others across the globe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then there\u2019s art. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m grateful for all those who follow me and buy and collect my work and generally support and encourage my art-making habit. Thank you!! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then there\u2019s the doing<\/em> part of art – I am so thankful to be an artist! Let me count the ways!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n As an artist, in no particular order, I\u2019m grateful to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. See the world differently<\/a> and with a sensitivity that I realise others don\u2019t. Beyond the awe of a glorious sunset, we see things like the colour created by the reflection of the sky on a car\u2019s rooftop, a shaft of light across the dining table, or the intricacies of a cast shadow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Help others see the world in new ways. My friend Sandy continues to remind me of this! <\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Spend my time \u201ccolouring\u201d as my brother-in-law Richard smilingly calls it <\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Have an excuse and opportunity to travel – teaching workshops around the globe!<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Get into the flow and lose any sense of time and all other concerns or thoughts in life<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. Express my thoughts and emotions about what I see or experience<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7. Create something from nothing. Successful or not – that\u2019s magic!<\/p>\n\n\n\n 8. Employ art as an outlet for anger <\/p>\n\n\n\n 9. Tell stories and share traditions for those who come after us – the past is celebrated not forgotten<\/p>\n\n\n\n 10. Give a visual voice to big ideas such as Aging or Identity <\/p>\n\n\n\n 11. Transform pain and suffering from life\u2019s challenges and traumas through art-making. Art serves as a therapeutic release<\/a> where it\u2019s possible to find solace and healing through the creative process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 12. Immerse myself in something I\u2019m passionate about<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13. Discover more of who I am through my art. The creative process encourages persistence and resilience. We learn to overcome challenges, embrace failures, and persevere through difficulties. These valuable life skills are not only essential for artistic development but also for personal growth in all aspects of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 14. Experience the unparalleled joy that comes from bringing an idea to life which brings with it a sense of accomplishment that\u2019s unique to the creative process <\/p>\n\n\n\n 15. Find delight in the smallest details alongside the more obvious grandeur of the natural world<\/p>\n\n\n\n