Do you see yourself as an art lover?
An art collector?
Or art-enthusiast? 

I used to think I wasn't an " art-person" because art did not really seem to interest me. Where some people are swept away by the artworks of Van Gogh or Dali, I could only think: Yeah, looks really...nice? 

(Like the flower painting below)

And knowledge about art history? I probably forgot if I had any! Maybe I haven't found the right teachers but so far art history has been as boring to me as..well..anything that is so boring that it puts you to sleep. It never made me feel any passion inside my veins.

I guess I am totally giving away my culture barbaric nature here. But it's true. Most often those kinds of painters and their works don't stir up any emotions inside of me. (Whoops, can't help it.)

Subconsciously this made me a little insecure and played a role in why I never pursued art. I felt as if artists are people who would have very deep thoughts and feelings about these things. And since I hadn't, I also felt I couldn't really be an artist. 

I never thought long and hard about it, but it was a belief I had picked up somewhere along the way. And beliefs make us think and act in a way that may limit us, where there should'nt be any limits.

Before I created my own art, even before the spiritual experience that started it all, I used to look for beautiful images of paintings on Pinterest just for fun and pinned boards full of them that did strike a chord in me. I wasn't really aware of it then, but what was happening was that I was finding the art that I loved. 

(a screenshot of some of the pins on my business Pinterest) 

And those fuzzy "Oooooh"-feelings I had, whenever I found an image that was worthy to put on one of my Pinterest boards, those were probably the same feelings others have when they look at works from the great masters (like Van Gogh). 

I never put 2 and 2 together. I was uneducated and under developed in art and in reckognizing emotions, and in how art and emotions are related. But nonetheless I was deeply appreciating the art that my soul connected to. Not in a museum or fancy art gallery, but in the comfort of my own home, scrolling through Pinterest on my phone.

Very modern. 
Very two-thousand-something.

And of course, this is nothing compared to looking at art in real life (something I learned later on). But it helped me to realize which art was "me". 

Because those Pinterest boards were filling up with paintings with gorgeous bold colors. And many were of female figurative portraits. And thus I began to see a pattern. I never in a million years thought I could ever paint like that, but I appreciated it with heart and soul. And I learned I loved portraits and rich colors.

And if I would have had the funds I probably would have shopped my butt off, and I would have filled my home with all those stunning fantastic images. Because Pinterest and Instagram are the place to be for those kind of shopping sprees. Art is very accessible these days.

When I started making my own art, having made those boards came in handy, because I already knew what I liked. Without me realizing I had done tons of forework. I knew in what direction I wanted to go myself, which turned out to be a very valuable starting point.

Now that I am a few years into my journey I realize I AM an art lover. Even before I knew it. I love art deeply. But I am a more modern art kinda girl. Maybe even a more modern-girly-in-touch-with-her-inner-child kind of art.

You won't see me staring at vague abstract pieces, whispering how I "get it", at museums. I do love myself some abstract, but the kind that - in my eyes - truly speak. Statement pieces. With symphonies of colors, that's when I get it. The kind that makes me want to shout it from the rooftops: Wow!!

And again, I haven't really found old masters that move the energy inside me. Other than Matisse, but that probably doesn't count. (I was told he was figurativly burned to the ground for using bold colors - So that's probably why I connect with his work.)

(My favorite Matisse portrait "Woman with the hat" 1905 - which critics called infantile and madness because of use of the wild colors and disjointed brushwork.)

So now I am coming to terms with that: I am an artist and I don't feel connected with what some people would see as 'real art'. I am okay with that. I am in acceptance of me and who I truly am in art, in this moment (I figure it could change over time). 

Even if art historians, art critics, gallery owners, museum goers and all their following would dissaprove. Get out of my head! I don't need your permission to be me. And just like that, I became an artist, embodying her most authentic self. (Matisse would be proud of me, I think)

So, how about you?
Do you love the work of the old masters?

Or are you more into the modern girly kind of art?
Did you know you have a passion for art?

Tell me about it, I would love to know!

Much love,

Denise