Gratitude and Honesty

Hello Friends and Art Lovers!

Hello friends and art lovers! I've been thinking a lot lately about what I can contribute to humanity (besides great art !) and I've decided to start a blog with a little bit about art, and a little bit about life. I am not wise by any means, but I have hope that maybe once in a while something I say might spark something in someone or put a desperately needed smile on someone's face. I'd like you to feel like my words about my art and my words from my heart are genuine, uplifting, and worth your time.

 

 This month I've been thinking a lot about gratitude as are many other people this time of year. Things I'm thankful I have, things I'm thankful I don't have, things that have happened that were happy, and things that happpened that were less than happy. I've also been thinking a lot about honesty and what it means to be honest and why it matters. You might be thinking, "What does honesty even have to do with gratitude?" I really enjoy looking at things from different angles and seeing how they are linked together. So bear with me as I link the two. 

 

I've always been a glass half full kind of gal, so you might say that being thankful comes second nature to me. Give me a rotten, depressing day and I'm sure I can find something good! Maybe you were running behind because your water heater went kaput and you were thirty minutes late for an important meeting? Well, I would say "At least you had to go to 30 minutes less of that meeting!" . Living in a developed country affords us so many comforts, conveniences and blessings that I find it hard to complain for more than a few minutes before I start counting all the wonderful things I have. So, how does honesty play into all of this? I think we can rob ourselves of gratitude by being dishonest with ourselves. Refusing to acknowledge all the positive things in our lives, focusing only on the negative. "Choosing" to claim only sorrow, hardship and pain when there is usually at least as much happiness, comfort and love. Comparing our real, down-and-dirty, cluttered lives with the polished, photoshopped images we see from others. Getting hung up on our faults and refusing to acknowledge our talents, strengths and accomplishments.

 

As a parent it is pretty darn easy to look around my home at the end of the day and say "What in the world did I even DO today?! This place is a mess! How could I be so lazy?" Instead of saying, "I sure had fun cutting out fabric with my daughter for her secret Christmas presents for her siblings". Or, "It was a lot messier letting my son help me make dinner, but he really enjoyed learning about cooking!" Which are the truer statements? I've really been trying to internalize being thankful for my struggles. "Why on earth would you do that?!," you might be thinking. Well, from my 38 years of experience (snicker)  and the using the great perspective of hindsight, I have come to realize that every hardship, trial, dissapointment, all the grief, sorrow, and pain, has made me stronger, braver, smarter, kinder, more thoughtful, forgiving, and patient. I appreciate my blessings MORE because of my trials. Like being served only food from a 5 star restaurant your entire life, you wouldn't know how amazing it was until you were served an overcooked tv dinner.

 

I'm trying really hard to be honest about the good and bad in my life and trying to be thankful for the lot. I hope you might think about trying it yourself! Someone might be saying, "Well that's all fine and good to say, but it's really too hard to actually do!" . That might seem true at first, but, like everything, some dedicated effort and hard work and a desire to change can make a world of difference. I can honestly say I might not be painting today if I hadn't had a big boatload full of hard times several years ago. I needed an outlet and something that was mine. It started with learning how to hand letter. Then it progressed to watercolor, and I have been happily settled in with abstract acrylic work for the last couple of years. It was borne of pain and has become a source of great joy, peace, and a way to express my feelings when there really aren't words.  

 

With that introduction I'd like to announce the long awaited release of my collection "Belonging". A series of paintings about surrounding yourself with people who love you, help you and lift you up when you fall. Soft pinks, deep greens and blues and a warm earthy yellow are orchestrated with bold strokes, lines and glorious drips into engaging, thought provoking pieces. A big shout out to my tribe who are so supportive of me and my art! The collection will go live on November 21st and email subscribers will be offered first chance at the new collection (head to my website page and watch for the pop up to subscribe if your're not already!)  Here's a sneak peak! I'll also be sharing more looks at the collection on my instagram page @heidimoultrieart so follow me there for more!

Belonging

details of Belonging