March 14, 2012

Wishes and Lessons

 Since launching Art Parties by Eleatta I have met so many fabulous folks. I consider it a privilege to be a host and guide in art making. In wearing the host hat, my goal is to make everyone feel comfortable and at ease. In donning my art facilitator hat, my goal is to create a launch pad of confidence.

Being keenly aware that guests arrive with unseen "baggage" of their previous interactions with creating art, my challenge is to gently coax the "child within" to emerge. I've never met a young child who is afraid to make a mark. Fear is a learned trait.




 Fear can be trained to submit. But it's the "inner critic" in all of us that I think is the most defiant. He is so hard to control. Over and over again, I have seen courageous, fabulous explorations on canvas that are then met with such a clamor of self doubt, that I have considered hiring a therapist to be my Art Party assistant! Just kidding.....

 No, I won't do that. I'm sure that would eat up my profits; they are paid far more than artists. But what I can do is learn from this lesson and continue to attempt a"search and destroy" missions when these little critic demons raise their ugly heads. My "take away" from all of this is to be just as vigilant with my own inner demons of self doubt as as I am with others.

 There is another observation: we are so quick to encourage others but criticize ourselves. I see this phenomena around the party table. Praise and compliments flow freely across the table and around the room. But not so freely are kind words uttered for one's own work.

I wish, sometimes, I were a fairy godmother with a magic wand that could change folks' perceptions of their own work. Alas, however, I am not. So I will  continue to do my part to cajole and convince this one lesson: we are all wonderfully unique. My wish is that we will come to celebrate such.

Here are some party pics. I think you will agree.







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