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Annika Elizabeth

An Art Education

I want to make sure I do some form of writing here each Monday. Today I was not so prepared, and ended up spending a huge chunk of my day learning how to do some photo editing using various programs, playing with a digital camera and lights..


I love taking photos, but I am more the type that sees a good shot, and I will point my auto focused camera at it, and hope for the best. It is hit or miss.


It's my goal to learn how to take good, high resolution photos for making prints out of my original works that are a bit larger. So far, I've only taken photos that can printed up to an 8x10 size without compromising the image quality.


Learning all the lingo when it comes to tech and photography hurts my brain, and I'm trying to love it. I'm trying to absorb the information so I can edit and print my own items on demand. I'm trying not to feel irritable that I only learned what not to do today with several hours of hunting for information, trial and error.



I was also recently accepted into an artist's co-op gallery, so now I am learning the ropes there, and learning from seasoned artists who have been at this longer than I have. What a gift to my artist soul!


I did not attend an art school, yet I am smack in the middle of an art education. I am home schooled, at 40.


When I was in high school I cried every time I took a test, or if I had trouble learning something difficult. It was known on test day in my Chemistry class, that I would be crying as we all did our thing. I believe I did end up with a B+ in that class. I did fairly well, yet the learning process for me was painful, stressful and did not come easy. The worst of it, was knowing I would likely forget a whole lot of the material weeks after the test was taken.


Once I became a mother, and decided not to put my children in school, I made sure we weren't stressed over learning. If it caused too much stress, we'd put the material away and try again. Sometimes, we are not ready for the information yet. That is okay. There is no age limit to learning, and our minds retain what is most important to us When we are ready.


Now, I had to work on applying this same idea to myself as an adult processing new knowledge. I'm not going to lie. I still cry. I still get angry.


I had to ask myself why I get so angry, because anger fills the space where the new information is trying to find its way in.

Do I get angry because I feel like I'm not smart enough? Angry because I'm not learning it quick enough? Upset because I only get so much time to sit and learn between work, self care, and sleeping?


Along with this learning process, I am working on observing my emotional status as I move through it. This is just something I am doing, because I love art. I'd love for art to support me. Currently, it is supporting me by prodding me to learn more. To stretch myself, where I'd really like to just do the paint part. Art is saying, "Wait. There is so much more. Take your time as you go. Enjoy the process just as you do a painting. You don't feel panic and discomfort when you don't finish a painting by the end of the day, so treat this creative process in a similar manner. You've got this!"


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