Sunday, May 20, 2018

The Inspiration Behind My Art Business - Creative Touch Art


My Three Sons: Connor (holding our dog Pepper), Walter and Chandler




Parenting and motherhood have been and still are a wonderful experience.

In the beginning, when I was first thinking of having a family, I had nothing to gauge my experiences on other than my own mother. She loved being a mom but seemed self-sacrificing. She would endlessly clean and organize the house, do laundry, makes
our meals, drive us here and there, help us with our homework, and more; the list goes on and on.

As I grew older, I noticed my mom didn't really do anything for herself. I started to feel a miasma of martyrdom surrounding her and thought, if this is what being a mother is all about, I wanted no part of it. To me, there on the edge of my mother's existence always loomed a sense of another life she could have had, some sort of creativity she could have explored, instead of being constantly bogged down by doing all those chores.

My Mother Gloria




I Tried To Emulate My Mother

When I became a mother I found that try as I might I could never fill the shoes of my own beloved mother. I would always be sub-par to her. I didn't have her self-sacrificing nature (or so I thought) nor did I want it.

I did try to emulate some of my mom's best qualities (there were many): her love, warmth, and caring for her children. What I did not want to copy where all the long hours of cleaning that never ended. I found I resented all of the cleaning my mom did because it took too much time away from me my sister and my two brothers. So, I did the unthinkable; I broke tradition and got a cleaning person to come once a week. I even had the gall to lower my standards as to what a neat house should look like (such a rebel :).

I Put Things In Perspective

I began to realize that being the best mother to me meant being a great mother without losing my sense of self. This philosophy made the decision to home-school my children an easy one.
But wait, how can home-schooling not be the most selfless act of martyrdom of all?
The truth is homeschooling was totally selfish on my part. Handing my boys over to another person who wouldn't have appreciated their amazing qualities and talents, while I missed them, would have been an intense sacrifice that I was not willing to make.

I Exposed My Children To Art Early

Before having children, my art was a very big part of my life. Once my children were born my artwork took second place. My need for creativity was still there just re-directed through my children and home.

As soon as my children were old enough to hold a paintbrush I had them painting. Before that, they always had their fingers and toes for painting.


Chandler and Walter Creating



Finger And Toe Painting

An example of a finger and toe painting was when I placed a long sheet of white butcher paper down the whole length of the kitchen floor (about 20 feet long). Handmade watercolors (flour, water, and food dye) were mixed into various colors and poured into plastic dish pans. This is where the real fun began. We had our very own indoor slip and slide, only with paint instead of water. They dipped, dunked and jumped into the pans, slid, slipped, smudged and splattered their way down the length of the paper. This did get very messy, but the result was a great day, a wonderful memory and a masterpiece that proudly hung from our deck for many weeks to come. I think I still have it in our attic. 

Chandler And Connor (The Zombie Brothers)




Raising my boys this way fulfilled my need to be creative and gave me the best years of my life with many happy memories. Now that my boys are older, they are still creative, Walter and Chandler with their music, and Connor, who has developed a love for Manga art.

"Individuals high in creativity maintain the integrity of their neural networks even into old age" - N. Turiano, Ph.D

The Gift Of Creativity

I am fortunate that I was able to homeschool my boys and foster their creativity in their early years.
When creativity is a part of someone’s life it becomes so much more than art. It opens the door to joy, it makes you feel alive. The gift of creativity has been a blessing for me and my boys in many ways.
Creativity is just as important as reading, writing, and arithmetic, and I feel it is sometimes underestimated and undervalued in our school system.
Creativity also fosters self-expression and logical thinking. Strengthens imagination and self-esteem. Encourages exploration and teaches children how to think openly.  


What Creativity Can Do For Us
Creativity can create abundance in your life, as it does in mine. A rich rewarding life filled with possibilities. It is always changing and never boring.
It’s wonderful to know that happiness is right there when you need it most, no further than your own finger-tips.
Being creative is not just about "art." You may be a dancer, a writer, a scrapbooker. The mechanic that figures out the problem with the engine, or a business executive that strategically inspires his team and solves many problems. There are so many forms of creativity, the list goes on and on.
I believe creativity is an expression which creates a passageway from your internal world to your external world. Emotions are gathered and released along with your aspirations and uncertainties to take on a physical form of your own creation.
Embracing creativity in whatever form that blends best with our abilities and talents is cathartic, freeing and powerful


"Think left and think right and think low and think hight. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try” - Dr. Seuss

My Need for Creativity Is Still Very Much Alive 

Since my children are not receptive to finger or tow painting with me anymore, I have moved on to satisfy my need to create and started my business Creative Touch Art. 

I enjoy many mediums, my forte being watercolor and gouache watercolor. Although, some of my latest pieces have been done in acrylic, which I am really enjoying.

I do not have a studio but paint in my kitchen by the window, while listening to my favorite tunes. Music and art have always been a dynamic combination for me. Creating art without music would be like working with my eyes closed. Listening to music helps me visualize different creative possibilities.

What should I paint next? There are so many possibilities.
I am on such a beautiful voyage of self-discovery. This is the best way to travel!


Walter 


Walter is happily married with two lovely daughters

Chandler

Chandler and me: I'm not as short as I look in the picture! Chandler is 6'4" He is a very talented musician, pursuing a career in music.

Connor


Connor is an artist - skateboarder dude 

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