My June Article Picks — Part Two of Two

There are just too many for one part!

As I was writing my list of June article picks, I realized that one part would be simply too long. So I have broken them up into two bite-sized pieces. To read part one, click below.

Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash

My June Article Picks — Part One of Two

Getting straight to business with Part Two!

Linds Frances, operating as The Art School of Life, wrote “Finding Myself Through My Art in the Pandemic”. She claims that the art school that she always wanted to go to, was brought to her New York apartment in those initial trying days of lockdown.

When New York City’s lockdown appeared imminent, my sudden fear of being alone in this totalizing new way was more than I could take at first. I planned on running immediately. But my mother, who is also a visual artist and similarly struggled through her own journey through making her art, told me to simply stay. And she encouraged me to make a lot of art, too.

So instead of leaving, I walked miles to an art store to load up on printmaking supplies, our fear of the unknown virus swirling everywhere and keeping me from the subway.

She spent day and night working on multiple mediums, finding an art community, and watching art history documentaries to learn as much as she could about her favorite famous artists. She sent photos of her work to be critiqued by her mom and covered most surfaces that she could in art. She not only dealt with other past unresolved traumas, but she finally understood what is required to truly be an artist.

I found the simple truth of the art school of life then: that making art is like a process of meditation we all have the ability to do. Simply put, that art is zen. I began unlocking what I hadn’t realized with this truth, which is that you don’t need anything but yourself to be an artist. In fact, you’re already an artist even before you start.

Oh my goodness! I could read this over and over! There is so much more to read, please…