So in my personal life as a working artist, I try to be a "yes" person as much as possible. Even when I am first approached to do something that seems outside of my comfort zone or area of expertise, I suck it up and put on a smile and secretly cross my fingers hoping that I'll figure it out well enough along the way.
Over the years one life lesson I have picked up is if you really want to make it in this business, you have to learn to not doubt yourself and just get excited about whatever opportunities come your way.
Not my photo, but taken in a spot where I got to swim with two sea turtles
What came my way recently has been my first opportunity at art licensing! Woo Hoo! Some friends-of-friends out here on O'ahu are going to be making mini surfboards as a collectors item and they had a few specific Hawai'ian designs they were looking to have created as .png images and then mounted on an entire series of different colored boards.
Lo and behold, I meet one of the developers, he sees my snazzy business cards and website with my charcoal drawings, and boom! I've got two new commissions.
Certainly landscapes and wildlife are not in my normal repertoire, but I have learned to throw self-doubt out the window and tackle commissions with aplomb. Not to mention that I live in Palolo, which is a valley directly behind the legendary Diamond Head Crater so I see it every day. Plus, I've been blessed with Aloha and have enjoyed the magical experience of swimming around with sea turtles twice since moving here.
It can be scary to put yourself out there (terrifying, in fact) but I think it was my mother who told me that if someone wants to hire me for a creative gig, it's because they believe I can do it and so should I. Sage advice I think all of us creatives can all take!
My drawing of more of a classic pre-settlement Diamond Head Crater with canoe surfers in the water
Diamond Head today as seen from a harbor cruise
In summation, Hawai'i is fan-freakin-tastic (thanks, Captain Obvious!) and I love it here. I just realized during the writing of this post that today actually marks the one year anniversary of my living here on O'ahu - incredible how time flies! So here is a little slide-show of this past year's adventures here and on my trip to Big Island. (And that handsome chap you see me with is my loving boyfriend and the reason I moved out here, Tim. Lucky me!) Enjoy:)
Have you ever visited Hawai'i or any other Pacific Island? I have yet to venture towards Asia, but I can't wait to do so! I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments!
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originally posted: December 31, 2016