Sunday, December 1, 2019

December Again!

Once again, it is December and I turn my calendar page. Outside my studio window, I see an ice rink! We are having our fisrt ice storm of the season. The birds and squirrels are nowhere to be found but I will fill their feeders just in case. For the past few days, I have been painting a small study piece. I get so inspired by seeing the birds in the branches and I want to capture that beauty. Nature is so elusive and I want to appreciate the small moments of peace and wondet that it provides. Even in icy weather, I find that I crack open my studio window just a bit in case I can hear a bird chirping in the background!
The pace of paitning is slow and methodical but very peaceful. I have been charmed by these versal style letters lately and it seemed to be a perfect resting space for my little bird. I will continue to explore these designs as I get ready to launch a new course called "The Alphabet Garden" based on a Victorian style of versal letter. 

My Festive Flourishing Students are coming into their 5th week of Bootcamp practice! It has been a delight to watch their work progress on Instagram and Facebook. I am so delighted to see so many festive flourishes. As I watched the work progress, I remembered some of my early flourishes and even went through some archived photos of my work. The struggle and the journey is very real! None of my current skills came easily to me. They were hard won with lots of practice, time on task and frustration. But underlying every practice session was the desire to acquire the skills I longed for. 
No matter where you are in your artistic journey, my reminder for you is to stay passionate. Love what you are doing and forget the notion of a finish line. It does not exist in this journey. Skills continue to build and evolve. Take all the time you need ( and then some!) Sending hugs across the miles and I hope you find time to pick up the pen or the brush and play a little! Happy December dear friends. I love hearing from you through email. You can reach me at heather@heathervictoriaheld.com. Thank you for reading the blog and if you need to reach out, I am only ever an email away.