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An Artist’s Growth Spurt

Saturday, August 7th, 2010 by Alyice

I am a good writer. I have a strong confidence in my writing abilities. I know that given the right assignment I can do a bang up job. I know this because I’ve spent years honing my skills as a writer.

I spent years trying to find my unique writing voice. I spent years testing out various genres in the writing industry. I spent years taking on writing jobs that were not always the best fit or use of my skills as a writer just so I could find and develop my niche as a writer.

With each writing job I learned more about myself as a business woman and a writer. I learned what I could not write. I learned what I did not like writing. I learned where my writing needed improvement and I learned where I excelled as a writer.

Through it all, I grew as a writer.

Over time, I discovered there are simply areas in the writing industry where I am not a good match. There are certain styles of writing or types of writing jobs that I cannot excel at because those are not my strong suits.

It doesn’t make me less of a writer. It doesn’t make me a failure as a writer, either. It just means that my abilities as a writer lie elsewhere and trying to tackle those jobs would not be beneficial to the client, or myself.

Those same lessons came to fruition this past month when what originally appeared to be a good opportunity for my art turned out to be another lesson in “the growing pains of an artistic soul”.

Though I strived to do my best, it was becoming painfully clear that things were not working out. I wasn’t meeting the client’s needs because my style wasn’t meshing with the overall plan.

Eventually frustration mounted on both ends and the relationship was terminated.

At first I was disappointed. You could even say that I was a little irritated because my style of art was evident from the very beginning of the relationship.

But having had some time to step back and look at the situation objectively, I realize that this experience was good for me—and quite possibly the client, too.

This situation allowed me the opportunity to stretch beyond my comfort zone and it brought me one step closer to defining myself as an artist.

It reminded me how vitally important it is to make sure that my style of art meshes with the client’s overall objectives and goals.

It reminded me how important it is to keep the lines of communication open at all times—when the company’s goals change, when frustrations start to mount, when something feels “off” in the business relationship, when things need a little fine tuning or tweaking, when I’m feeling frantic and lost as to what the client really wants, and so on and so forth.

And it reminded me that while art is often created on a very personal level (sometimes even emotional level), to a business the final outcome will always be about the bottom line.

So would I change anything about this latest endeavor as an artist? No, not really. I hate that it didn’t work out but I am grateful for the opportunity.

Keep Creating

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A Child And His Waterfall

Thursday, July 29th, 2010 by Alyice

Isn’t my nephew, Austin, adorable with his hand painted waterfall?

He and his sister, Olivia, came to South Dakota with their mom for a mini-vacation. Upon seeing my art studio his first night here, he asked he if could do something on my wood blocks, like his cousin.

“Sure,” I said. “After we come back from Falls Park in Sioux Falls, tomorrow.”

Yesterday he created his masterpiece.

I’m thinking he got his inspiration from Falls Park, what do you think?

When he was done, his sister wanted to create a little art, too.

Realizing that I have a lot of .4 ounce Reeves acrylic and watercolor paints, from four years ago, that have never been used and are still in good condition, I decided to give the kids a jumpstart on their own art studio.

Then as I began talking to their mom, my sister, about my art studio and how much I love it, she started to get excited about all the possibilities, too.

The next thing I knew, I was packing up a care package full of art goodies for them to take home.

I filled a box with things like 24 various sized wood blocks, 12 rectangular wood planks for making necklaces, thin ribbon with multi-colored hearts for necklace chains, a package of 9×12 chipboard to create their own chipboard pieces, Workable Fixative to spray over their pencil drawings before they begin painting over their sketches, Aleene’s Jewel-It for attaching various embellishments to their art projects, Delta Ceramcoat Matte Varnish to seal their paintings, and a checklist of supplies I think they need to have on hand to make their art studio functional.

I’m not sure who was more excited. Them or me?

Then at 1 am this morning, I thought, “They need an art table!”

So I got up, packed up my oblong, folding art table and set it next to their stuff.

I literally cannot wait to see what they come up with!

Keep Creating

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I Am A Sensitive

Monday, July 26th, 2010 by Alyice

I am what you would call a “sensitive”. No, not the kind who can tell the future or past events based upon feelings, surroundings, or the universe. I am simply a gal who feels things more deeply than the average person.

Sometimes it’s a blessing. Other times it’s a curse.

There are days when I feel completely overwhelmed by life—and there’s no apparent reason for it. There are times when the empathy I feel for others is so strong that I bud in where I don’t belong. And there are days that I lose myself in trying to fulfill the needs and desires of others.

What others take for granted, I can sometimes obsess over.

If you tell me that I am not good enough, I don’t just take it as “your” opinion and move on with my life—even if I disagree with you or have total confidence in my own abilities or talent. Instead of simply moving on, as would any other “normal” human being, I try to figure out why you feel I am not good enough and then I obsess over trying to win your approval; to become “good enough”.

And if you treat me poorly, and upon reflection I know it was unwarranted, completely over-the-top behavior for the circumstance, very selfish on your part, or simply not my fault, I will still look at myself as the source of the problem. And should I see my fault in the situation, I will obsess over trying to “fix” things; trying to make it “right”.

On top of all that, I am easily hurt by other people’s unkind remarks or their need to exclude me from certain events or their lives in general.

I cannot watch violent movies or movies filled with a lot of negative energy because they’ll upset me for days. I cannot watch or read the news because I’ll never let my kids out of the house; especially not without an hour long lecture on safety.

I cannot live in chaos—whether it’s a messy house, a messy relationship, or a messy life. And I try to avoid conflict and confrontation like the plague, though I’ve grown to realize that sometimes you just need to confront an issue head on.

I do not do well in crowded situations and am easily disturbed by noise. In fact, certain noises or behaviors grate on my nerves so badly that I literally have to ask people to stop: stop the tapping, stop the smacking, stop the music, stop the…

I can’t stand when things are rushed or out of my control. And I don’t work well when I am constantly being scrutinized or put down. In fact, I thrive when the sandwich approach is used: compliment, gentle but honest negative with possible solutions, then compliment.

I can sometimes get irrational over the stupidest of things; especially when I’m feeling overloaded or stressed. And often find the need to take a break from the world just to recharge my batteries. (Sometimes it’s as simple as going into a dark, quite room. Other times it’s a leisurely stroll in the sun. And sometimes, it’s unplugging from the ‘net and all electronic devices.)

For the most part I am a quiet, reserved, introvert. But I can be loud and obnoxious when the occasion warrants.

On the plus side, being a sensitive has some great advantages.

My husband says that he loves my sensitive nature because it makes me a more caring, loving, conscientious, compassionate person who truly appreciates those around her and isn’t afraid to go out of her way to show it in both actions and words. (And because being sensitive makes life “interesting”.)

My bosses like my sensitive nature because it makes me a better worker; a more disciplined worker. Because I tend to care deeply about the perception of others, or what I think of myself, I tend to put “my all” into my work. It also means that I am very good at organization and problem solving. That, of course, means that as long as I am the right fit for your company, you’ll most likely be pleased with my work performance and my work ethics.

My friends like my sensitive nature because it causes me to be more aware of their presence in my life. They say it makes me more loyal, sentimental, thoughtful, and more willing to build and maintain close relationships where feelings and actions are mutually reciprocated.

My kids love my sensitive nature because, as my daughter says, “It makes me a better mom.”

In the end, befriending and working with a “sensitive”, such as myself, is no easy feat. I’ve often joked that I am difficult to be around, but the truth is that I am no more difficult to be around than the average person. It’s just that my quirks are a little different than a “normal” person’s quirks and so they take some getting used to.

But if you can hang in there, the rewards are SO WORTH IT!

I can be such a huge asset to your business (Shout out to Lisa, Megan, and Dan) and your personal life (Shout out to Nenane, Tina, and Candice).

And being a sensitive explains a lot about my need to constantly create the world around me.

Pearl S. Buck, the 1938 Nobel Prize winner, said it best when she said, “The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: a human creature born abnormally, inhumanly sensitive”… with an “overpowering necessity to create…so that without the creating…of something of meaning, his very breath is cut off from him. He must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency he is not really alive unless he is creating.”

Stay True To Yourself

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AlyiceEdrich.com
I'm a freelance writer, mixed media artist, SMVA, and the owner of The Dabbling Mum.

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