“ I paint to experience life. I paint to access my heart.”
- Rebecca
Art is how I process life. All of my deepest fears, insecurities, longings, disappointments, hopes, and desires move through me when I come to a canvas. It is a constant dance of moving into my body, going back into my head, moving back into my body. Making intuitive marks and color choices, surrendering to the flow of energy, then stepping back and analyzing what came out, what worked, what didn’t, what can I add, what do I take away.
I show up at a canvas with only the intention to be present to life and to have fun. I make marks and see where my intuition takes me. It’s messy, I move around a lot, and I follow no defined process. Sometimes a painting is done after one layer, sometimes it’s done after 10 layers. I just keep going until it feels complete. Learning to not be afraid of ugly marks or colors really set me free in my process. I believe there is always beauty to be discovered and defined no matter how ugly it might appear to be. This belief helps me not to quit.
What is your background?
I’ve always had a love for the arts and identified with being a creative. I started painting with acrylics in my early thirties when I was at home with my four young kids. I was married to a musician and used to do ‘Live’ paintings during his shows. It was exhilarating and to this day I’m impressed by my own ability to just get up there and do it (I had no experience and no idea what I was doing). I continued to play on canvas throughout my life, taking on commissions here and there. Now that my kids are mostly grown and I have the space and focus, I’ve finally been exploring the depths of my creative desire and making growing as an artist my priority.
Who or what inspires you?
I’m inspired by all forms of art, I am in love with the creative process. Though music probably inspires me to paint the most. Visually I am drawn in by gestural abstractions, fascinated by the ability of someone to create something that bypasses intellect and hits me straight in my core. I’m intrigued by the mystery of what makes something move us, while other pieces might not as much. I’m inspired by other artist’s willingness to let us see their souls. It takes such incredible courage and vulnerability to express yourself creatively for the world to see. Also, nature. It feeds my soul and makes me want to create something of beauty.
What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
I’m also a Life Coach, so there is amazing advice in my sphere on a daily basis, but in regards to painting, the most effective advice I’ve received was to ‘Be, to Do’ vs ‘Do, to Be’. For years I would not call myself an ‘artist’ because I didn’t feel like I’d had the training, or experience, or success that I believed would qualify me as an artist. Like I had to ‘Do’ more in order to ‘Be’ an artist. But what that did was make me show up to a canvas with the belief that I wasn’t good enough. I painted from my head, constantly looking to what I’d created to prove whether or not I was an artist. Was I any good? Because I was showing up so insecure and needing to prove myself, I created insincere and insecure art.
But then I learned that it works the other way around. I have to first ‘Be’ an artist in my belief in order to ‘Do’ the kind of art I wanted to create. Once I started believing I was an artist- before I had any outside evidence- I started showing up to the canvas with confidence and excitement, and began to create art that I loved. Art that was a confident, true, liberated expression of my voice.
How do you seek out opportunity?
I believe in just going for it. Opportunities are everywhere! I try to meet people, tell them who I am, allow myself to feel terrified, and go for it anyways. I cast a wide net and release the outcome. I used to be paralyzed by procrastination (which is perfectionism in disguise), and so I wouldn’t often even see opportunities that were there. Now, when something comes my way I just go for it. I’ve made very good friends with failure and see it as merely feedback, not a reflection of my value. ‘You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain’ is my motto. So I try to keep myself open to the abundance of opportunity out there by believing that the only limits I have are the ones I place on myself.
What role do you have in society?
I am here to be a light and inspire people to become fully alive. I live by the heart and I bring hope. I see the beauty and the potential in all of us and I believe that we all have a creative and loving force of life that wants to be expressed through us. I think if we truly saw our own worthiness and value, and were able to heal emotionally, we could transform the world.
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