Your Art is a Gift

A Missive from the Field: Issue 4, vol. 1

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

Even as I typed those words last month about legacy, encouraging us to look at the long game, I could hear the voice of the Inner Critic. 🌿

You think you make anything of value? Who are you kidding.

Oh, I know it well, that little demon. And as a fellow creative, I bet you know it, too. That niggling voice of doubt, that aching uncertainty that your words, your art will ever be Good Enough. You weren’t, after all, trained in XYZ, there’s so many other artists/writers/professionals who are so much better at _____ than you are, and besides, it’s all been said/done already. I’ve heard it all, from students, from peers, from coworkers, from audience members after performances during my musician days, from Johnny’s grandmother down the street and the shy young man ringing up my mid-morning coffee. I’ve even heard it from myself more times than I can count, and usually right when I’m about ready to level up into something Big.

It’s a lie, and I’ll tell you why: You are YOU and you’re right where you need to be.

I am leaning more into oil pastels right now and loving how bright and versatile they are!

Are you a perfect replica of anyone else in your town? Your state? Your country? Do you have the exact same life experiences as anyone else? No. Then you can’t leave the work of creating to anyone else. Even if a thousand artists have painted the same view of El Capitan in Yosemite and you are number 1001, your version is going to shimmer with the weight and the glory of every hardship and blessing it took to get you to that moment. You can try to white-wash your work and erase your unique fingerprint all you want, but you’ll be unsuccessful. Writers and artists alike spend so much time and money on classes and workshops and seminars to learn how to paint like Alan Lee or write like Flannery O’Connor (as random examples), and come away disgruntled and disappointed because their work is just. not. the. same.

Of course not. You are you. You can’t live their lives and wear their skin anymore than they can yours.

And it’s Okay. In fact, it’s better than Okay.

Your own voice and creativity is not something to be scared of or to dislike. Your creativity is beautiful, poignant, and carries the echo of Heaven. It’s a wonderous gift given by a joyful Father, who delights every time you take a tremulous step and use it. He’s up there cheering you on like the voice of encouragement you maybe never had and always wished for.

Your art is a gift.

Treasure it. Hone it. Enjoy it. Creativity is contagious… pass it on.

Newly Released Work 🌱

• I recently added two new columns/sections to the newsletter: the first is called “Pen-Scribbled Stories” and it’s the repository for my more experimental and speculative poetic fiction. The second is for my more “regular” poetry, psalms, and the like, called “Contemplations.” Existing subscribers can add one or both sections to their account from the ‘manage my subscription’ page:

• My ginormous painting, “Sword of Truth”, was unanimously selected by the Arts committee and the City Council to hang in the council chambers for 2026! This is an incredible honor. You can buy prints here in my Shop.

Prints are 8.5x11 inches on 24# linen paper, matted to frame at 11x14 inches. I'm only doing 50 of them, so once they're gone, they're gone!

• “Sword of Truth” and another of my paintings titled “Joyful Carp” appear in Wandering Lights Magazine’s inaugural issue.

• My painting “At the Fish Ladder,” featuring my sons, will also be appearing in Pure in Heart Stories at the end of April.

  

  This is one of my favorite memories of this summer almost 3 years ago. I remembered visiting our local dam/hatchery as a kid in the Idaho panhandle, and had an opportunity to give my kids the same experience where we live now. And it was perfect! The fish were active, and the fish counter gentleman gave them a tour of his office.

Onward with Courage… 🌿

I don’t want to leave you having only glossed over the importance of passing on our creativity and tie it more firmly to the previous discussion on legacy. Think of your unique creative voice like a priceless heirloom; it’s one of the few things in life that’s meant to outlive us. I treasure the prints and original artworks I received from my Grandmother’s estate, but it’s more than just artwork, it’s her story, too. She turned to art later in life and found purpose in it, and her willingness to share that part of her life with me left a lasting impression. Without realizing it, she passed on the blueprints I would need to find my way here, an artist in my own right.

We pass on what we value. Our creative gifts should count among those, and yours is no exception.

I’m so glad you’re here.
❦ Heather

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**If you enjoyed this newsletter, please consider checking out some of my other work or purchasing something from the shop. 🌿

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