Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible'!- Audrey Hepburn

Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible'!
Audrey Hepburn

I love this quote! And Audrey Hepburn was definitely a creative woman we can all learn from.

I didn’t always live my life by this wisdom. But for the past few years I have. I have been living my life with belief in myself and my dreams. It has not always been easy (I talked about that in last week’s blog), but I feel that lately it is all pulling together. Lots of positive things are happening to me and I believe it’s because I now believe in myself and allow myself to dream and to believe these dreams will come true.

As you know I participated in "Art Takes Time Square" this past June, where one of my paintings was displayed in Times Square, along with those of other artists from all over the world. Well, I just received an e-mail informing me that one of my paintings will now be in a BOOK!!! I am so excited! Check this out-

Your artwork has been selected to appear in the 2012 edition of Art Takes Times Square

 Dear Deena, 

We have exciting news. After reviewing the work you submitted into the Art Takes Times Square competition, our Editorial Committee has chosen one of your pieces to be featured in our upcoming publication, Art Takes Times Square.

Out of the tens of thousands of artists who entered the Art Takes Times Square contest, only a select few will appear in this publication. You can take pride in knowing that your work was among the best we saw, and we believe this special coffee-table book will be even better with your art included.

This particular painting is the one which I had hoped would be picked to be displayed on Times Square, even though I was happy that any one of my paintings was chosen. It would have been very special to have seen this one on the billboard for many reasons, so I am SO happy they picked this painting for the book.

I am going to keep on dreaming big, and see what other positive surprises life has in store for me!

And please remember…DREAM BIG!!!!

Who Does She Think She Is?

My idea for this blog is that it shouldn’t just be about me and my art, but a celebration of woman, motherhood, art and creativity.

Unfortunately, it isn’t always easy to combine these things. A lot of woman artists stop creating when they become mothers, or their creativity shifts to a more practical route. Now this makes a lot of sense. Once you are a mother, time isn’t always available. You need to learn to multitask your life between being a partner and mother, and juggling work and friends.  It is not always easy to find time for yourself. Ask any mother of little kids when was the last time she sat down to read a book and she will probably laugh.  When I first got divorced, there were many people who told me I should give up on my art and find a more practical job. "You should teach art in the school system" or my favorite - ‘you should do art in your free time (ha ha) and get a regular job’. I am very grateful and lucky for the fact that most of the people in my life didn’t say that and were very encouraging and supportive. I think that I am very lucky to do what I do. I get to be a full time mother and work at a job that I love! I have people coming to my studio to learn art and be creative. I get to inspire and be inspired daily. My studio is right there, ready and waiting for me to create daily. I feel I am a better mother when I give myself the chance to make art and express myself.

One of the big influences on me to stick with my art was the movie-"Who Does She Think She Is?" This is a documentary about women struggling to live creative lives and balance with motherhood and family. It talks about the guilt women feel when putting aside time for themselves to create. It deals with questions such as: how to create and not turn your back on family and community? How does this affect children and family? Why are women always caught between giving to others and developing their own skills? This movie empowered me and encouraged me to realize that I can live my WHOLE life.  I would love for my blog to inspire others.  I have received a lot of responses to my blog from women who told me how hard it is/was to keep creating when life got in the way. I would love for people to respond and comment here on your thoughts on this issue. Maybe we can start a conversation that will encourage others to live their WHOLE life. So when asked-"Who does she think she is?"  We can just smile and say “This is who I am!"

Please check out the website and be inspired. 

http://www.whodoesshethinksheis.net/