The Starving Artist

Let me clarify: I have never written a blog before, so bear with me.
To start, I am an artist. I would like to have experience in many fields if possible. Nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it and the effort required to make it possible. I've Always admired people with lots of experience. You can be brilliant, but without knowledge and experience, you will always be a step behind.

My life has been full of ups and downs, but with every step I took, there was always something I've learned; it takes time to get back up, but there's always a way to get up no matter what. My art is a part of me; I use art as a tactic to clear my head and feel better. It is a way for me to vent my emotions, Which means I draw based on my feelings. Sometimes, you can see my feelings through my artwork; sometimes, you'll see a beautiful painting of a bear and won't even tell if I was happy or sad. Sometimes, I draw to be creative in my day.

I moved to Montana in 2019 and stayed in the beautiful town of Butte, where my mother lives. I'm a coffee lover, so give me some coffee and a beautiful environment, and I can do beautiful things. So I found a lovely café (The Orfino). I would go there every day after work, sit by the window, order a caramel macchiato, pull out my art pad, and paint. There's something extraordinary about going to a café and painting. With time, people start to recognize you, want to talk, and ask, what will you paint today?
In the time I spent in the café, I saw many people from different places. There was one man I would see every day. He's an older gentleman. He's very, let's see how to say this, "sassy," There's the word. He saw me, and I saw him every day, but never had any interaction with each other until one day, he came up to me:
He asked ""whatcha doing?""
I said, "drawing a bear."
So he took a look, and that day, I was doing a slightly small drawing, so he saw how much work had to be done, and when I say work, I mean details.
He says, "Well, you better get working. No time to play around".
I laughed a little and responded, "YES, SIR!".
From then on, whenever I lifted my phone to change to a different song, he would say, "No time for games! Get to working." It just drew a smile on my face.
During my time in Montana, I had many opportunities; I had my first art walk. I got to put my art up for display and sell some artwork. I had the chance to be the next featured artist at a local store called 5518 Design. That was considered the most exciting thing I've done with my art at the time. From that time, I thought to myself, to grow, you need to go to different places, even if they are small; in reality, you have to start small to become significant.

I give much credit for my success to my mother and her family. They have always encouraged me to do more in my life; they have encouraged me to be creative no matter what, and no matter how many times I would fall, they would always be right there to dust me off and pull me back up. In the six months I lived in Butte, MT, I've felt love and support like no other, as the people of Butte welcomed me and treated me as their own. They were mainly my mother's friends, but every one I got to know was unique.

Art has a significant meaning, although it's a small word; even the simplest things you do can be a form of art. A lot ask me why don't you go and get a degree in arts. And my response is always, "Why would I study something I'm already good at?". I taught myself to draw with a pencil and paint with watercolor, oil, and acrylic. I still have much to learn, but I have the resources to be better and constantly challenge myself. I don't mean that studying art in school isn't education or a waste of time, no, not at all. However, I think if you are good at something, just be self-taught if applicable, and if you have the opportunity to get a degree, get one in something that will give you experience, study something that will provide you with much knowledge in something other than your hobby, but always study something you are ambitious about when you feel like you've lost your interest in what you study it can become a burden rather than a blessing.
One of my favorite movies is Ratatouille; I know it's weird, but it sends a fantastic message. One of my favorite quotes "is Anyone can cook, but only the fearless can be great" Chef Gusteau. I know you are thinking, cook? But you paint. Even cooking is a great art. The message in this quote is that anyone can do anything; you can cook or draw or even work as a lawyer, but only the fearless can be significant at what they do.
So, here's to the beginning of something extraordinary; as my journey begins in this field, I'm eager to see what comes next. Always remember that being an artist means you're a unique person in this world because not many people have the touch of art at their fingertips, but a true artist can come from anywhere.

Always remember to be fearless in what you do, and always act with love.