I’ve been putting off this post today…

BECAUSE, I don’t like delving into my personal emotions.  I don’t want The Wife Within to be a place where I just lament and dramatize about my life.  I have a wonderful life and thank God for it every day.  I don’t want anything in my posts to ever come across otherwise.  If anything, my life is just “goofy” sometimes (isn’t everyone’s?).  Most importantly, I want this place to focus on the motto of The Wife Within: what I love, create, discover, pursue in this life.  But lately, I’ve finally come to grips with something very important to me.  Something that gives me so much freedom (and relief) that I must share in order to relate my future posts to you.  Bare with me.  I promise it’s only for today.

I am an artist.

(A painting, print making, creating type artist.  You know, like the starving artist character…)

There, I said it.

Gosh, it feels so good to finally embrace something I’ve been somewhat embarrassed of my entire life.   The thing is I was voted “most likely to succeed” growing up and then graduated from The University of Virginia with a biology degree, so in my neck of the woods, being solely an “artist” does not count as a “job.”  A career?  Hell no.

Fortunately, throughout my life I was surrounded by family and friends who have always encouraged me.  Just look at my family & their passions…grandfather = baker, grandmother = seamstress, aunt = quilter, mother = dental ceramist, and brother = architect…ALL “artists” (in one way or another).  I guess you can say it runs in my family and I am thankful for their influences in my life.  It’s funny because I hold in the back of my mind how my aunt wanted me to go into marketing so I could use my art skills in advertising; too bad, I wanted to be a doctor.

In college I tried to sneak my love for art amongst my science and pre-med curriculum and also minored in Studio Art, specifically oil painting.  I was a closet artist and this was my escape.  But, while plotting my path to eventually become a doctor, I did something instead: I FELL IN LOVE.

Whoops.

I can come up with excuses why I didn’t pursue med school, but long story short: I met a boy I couldn’t live without and eventually married him.  Greatest move of my life.  Ever since he got to know the “real me” this boy loved my art work and he knew how much I loved painting.  In college, Eric would come visit me at the studio at 2am and bring me flowers and Red Bull, always making sure I made it home safe.  His support over the years, made me believe I could do this.

So throughout my journey since college I’ve had a crazy career path.  I had no clue where I was going.  I’d have great prospects one day, then sharp changes the next (ie: my beer career came to a screeching halt when I was diagnosed with Celiac disease).  Now that I’m settled in Chicago, I have to admit that I am also a student and have been taking the opportunity to work on my art prospects.  Thankfully I’ve had the Evanston Art Center as my neighbor and have been taking fantastic courses in landscape & portrait painting, watercolor, and print making.

I’m trying to build a portfolio of sorts to eventually do something with.  I’m trying to hone my skills as an artist so I have confidence in the art world.  I don’t know if this means I’ll go back to school, open a gallery, or sell my art at farmer’s markets…all I know is that this is the FIRST time in my life that I feel content.  I feel like this is what God put me on this earth to do.

Literally, until last week I’ve been evading the question every 20-something gets: “what do you do?”  AHHHHH.  Me?  Meghan?  I have to do something “successful.”  I must have a normal job.  What will people say?  This has been such a struggle for me.

Well guess what, I’m okay with it.  I’m proud of it and I’m figuring it out.

I cannot thank those enough who have supported me in my endeavours.  I am ever so grateful.

…now, here’s a little progression of one of my favorite projects from the fall.

Alright, good night y’all.  Thank you so much for reading.

Next week (as I promised) will be much lighter.

Stay tuned.

♥

PS:  The Wife Within will continue to offer posts about a variety of things.  Not just art.  A girl can have other loves too, right?  Spring is just around the corner and my green thumb will begin to sprout!