Have you ever heard an art instructor describe a rule or a process for making art and thought, "Well, I could never do that?" 

Has the world of painting felt like it's divided into two categories; artists who are naturally gifted and people like you, who have to fight for every bit of growth and worry you're failing most of the time? 

I can describe myself as that artist; I felt like the best I could hope to do was to be kind of an average artist who made mediocre work. I wanted to grow, but I couldn't muster the discipline to practice the techniques that the art world insisted were essential. I felt like a failure most of the time as I made painting after painting riddled with mistakes. 

I have one thing going for me; I never gave up.

And being too stubborn to quit gave me one huge advantage; time. 

Over time I realized, I didn't have to try to squeeze myself into a mold or follow all the rules. Maybe there is a way of painting that can be all mine, where I can make art feed my soul; playful, joyful, free. 

I wasted far too much time feeling pressure to be someone I was not. In my painting practice, I get to be the most authentic version of myself; the childlike early joy I found in making art is rediscovered, and I can reject any thinking that limits me or pushes me to perform. 

There are turning points in every artist’s journey, pivotal moments that may have felt small or insignificant at the time, but served as markers for change. In my own artistic history, I look back with gratitude on these moments, because they served as pushes to help me find the freedom to create the art I longed to make and to be an artist who can boldly say, “I am my own favorite artist.”