Making Art a Part of everyday life.

Hi everyone my name is Linda Miranda Fix and I was given the opportunity to share my thoughts near the very end of this awesome and challenging journey.

I have loved reading the blogs, and enjoyed the artwork from all the amazing artists who have participated. Your art is inspiring, and your thoughts have also been words to remember. So, like others who have written here toward the end of this challenge, it's difficult to share details that have not already been covered. Then I remembered that this is my story, and that makes my thoughts one of a kind. There are infinite ways of sharing ideas and information, all based on our own experience.

I have always loved art from the time I was very young, and because I was a child of the sixties, and when I graduated from high school in the early 70's, there weren't a lot of options. So my dream of an art career was replaced by a nursing career; although it wasn't really my plan, it was my life purpose. As a nurse I learned how to be organized, and efficiency is a huge part. There are not many gray areas, not a lot of wiggle room when it comes to policies and procedures and you certainly can't color outside the lines. Nursing taught me the value of life and to never take anything for granted. I continued my art on and off through the years but it wasn't until I retired that I had the opportunity to really enjoy creating. I love incorporating fantasy in my art; the use of inspirational symbols such as dragonflies, and butterflies; visually telling a story. My art is part of my experiences as a nurse, the continuation of hope and faith; never giving up.

Higgins Inks Inktober challenge has taught me so much! I've learned that I needed to start my day out bright and early so that I could create something when my brain is better rested, lol. In the beginning of this challenge I would wake up around 6 a.m. so I could draw something and get it done. But I soon discovered how wonderful it was to wake up early and begin to create. It was the foundation for my day. It was a sense of accomplishment, something positive and rewarding. This challenge became easier when I discovered that.

I also learned to think more outside the box, outside my comfort zone; to draw things that I wouldn't normally draw. I wanted to participate in the theme word of the day and I loved trying to come up with ideas and artwork that could reflect that. It was fun to draw something that made me smile.

I have just a couple more thoughts I'd like to share before closing this blog post. There are only a few days left to this challenge and I'm hoping that everyone will be more inspired like I am to continue creating awesome pieces of artwork a little bit more often than we did before we started.

I also wanted to share something I learned a long time ago when painting. I learned how to push past the "oh this isn't working out" stage. I've learned that just when I think the painting is garbage and I'm about to toss it, that's when I need to keep going. I have created some of my best work just because I didn't give up. Of course learning that didn't come very quickly and I left behind or threw away a lot of artwork along the way.

I also learned, or I should say continue to learn when to stop working on the piece and consider it done! It's a slippery slope that balance between 'one more brush or pencil line' and calling your artwork complete. One tip I have learned is to not sign my name right away. I'll leave and do something else for a while and then come back to evaluate. Once I sign my name, I try not to ever change anything more.

Enjoy your art everyone, not just the artwork but the journey that gets us there. Thank you Higgins Inks for the opportunity. I've had so much fun! We're almost to the finish line, but we'll never be done creating!