Strength and inspiration from a meeting of the minds

Deep down I consider myself to be an artist.
I also consider myself to be a writer.

The problem with these labels is that if you tell this to people, they inevitably want to see your work! I’m not sure why, but just the thought of that makes my skin crawl. So, am I really an artist? Am I really a writer? Can I use those definitions if I’m not willing to share my work with the world?

I recently met a woman though my volunteer work with a local non-profit organization. The two us hit it off while working to help this group build a social media presence. We have a lot in common and through the course of one of our recent conversations I realized that the quirky workings of my brain may not be so bizarre after all.

She, too, is an artist. She showed me some of her artwork. I don’t think she believes she’s very good because, as I would, she made excuses for herself as she showed it to me. No excuses necessary, by the way.  I liked her stuff.  Since she showed me hers, I mustered the courage to show her the oil painting I recently completed. I don’t recall, but I am sure I made my share of excuses, too.  Surprisingly, she didn’t fall on the floor in fits of hysterical laughter.

She is also interested in blogging, so I told her about my “bfborn” blog; which she read and is now following. Oh the pressure!

It was because of this meeting that I revisited the blog, which I have left floating out here alone for almost a year. In fact, the day that I tuned back in was EXACTLY one year since my last post. Weird.

It's because of stupid, little occurrences like these that I believe there are no accidents. I believe events and meetings happen for a reason. You just have to recognize the message when they come and then act on them.

So, I'm acting. Originally my biggest fear with posing this blog was that someone may actually read it. But now, upon my return, I see I’m safe. No one, except for the two people who have encouraged and inspired me to do so, is reading. So, thank you for the encouragement my two, dear fans!  And, like sharing the painting, I think it will get less painful every time I do it.

As of now, I am working toward a day when I don’t have to make excuses for my artwork. Also, I am looking forward to a time when I sign in to BlogSpot and feel bad because no one is reading!