A precipice is a very steep rock or cliff. It can be a dramatic beginning or life change. It sometimes requires a response. Sometimes not.
The dictionary defines a precipice as “a very steep rock, face, or cliff, especially a tall one”. But a precipice can also be a dramatic beginning of something. It has been used to describe the “next step” in a relationship, the next level in a career, the point of a life-changing decision, or the beginning of a new (if not scary) venture. I am standing on a precipice. And I am not certain how to respond, or if I need to respond at all.
Let me back up a bit. Most who know me know that I have always been an artist. I have talent that was woven into the very fibers of my being when I was created. Along with that is an inherent drive, a desire, to use that talent; to "create".
Pursuing a career as a "creator" is not all that easy. My life has often been characterized with what some would call “failure”, while others would call it “experience”. Whatever you wish to call it, it boils down to never having been able to secure a place in this world as a legitimate, card-carrying, career artist (cartoonist, fine art painter, illustrator, or author). Oh, certainly I have done many freelance jobs and jobs on commission. However, never anything that I was able to secure a livelihood with. I always had a job working for someone else for my primary source of income. Art and writing were always a “side hobby” for my spare time. And while all of those jobs certainly gave me experience, growth, maturity, and opportunities to develop and refine my craft exponentially, I never had the freedom that comes with being an independent fine artist or published author.
After decades of not achieving success in the arts fields, I turned to teaching. I LOVE teaching. It comes naturally. Children enjoy learning from me, and I certainly enjoy watching their eyes light up when they make connections in their own minds. I celebrate those moments.
Enter the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with billions of others around the world, I found myself at home most of the time. I spent a great deal of time writing, drawing, and surfing online. Which is where I discovered a venue for selling prints of my artwork. Never did the thought cross my mind that I could make prints of my originals, and give the world the opportunity to purchase my work. This new platform is incredible, and will also require a great deal of time and marketing (which they provide the resources for in abundance) to be a successful venture. In finding this site, I also found an excitement and enthusiasm I had thought I lost years ago, and I have not only been diligent to properly photograph the pieces I plan to offer as prints, but I also have begun to create NEW works. I have even begun to experiment with different techniques and different subject matter. I am so very excited about this new website, the support they offer, and the opportunities to really "create" once more. I have really come alive these last few weeks.
SO…here I stand...
…on the precipice… wondering what lies ahead…