Beth Lenderman Fine Art

Monday, July 16, 2012

PASSION

What are you passionate about? Do you even know?

And I’m not talking about the type of passion in a romantic relationship or the passion you have for your favorite sports team (GO HOGS!) But what energizes you? In your day-to-day grind, what makes you feel alive?

For so long….as long as I can remember….I have been trying to find mine. I’ve looked in so many places.

Then a friend of mine recommended a book….Find Your Strongest Life by Marcus Buckingham (an excellent book I HIGHLY recommend). The book addressed the feelings many women have when trying to figure out what they are supposed to do with their life. (And although this book was written specifically for women, the author has written several others applicable to both genders.) When I picked up the book, I felt I was reading my own story. The book encouraged me to find the things in my life that make me strong and to spend most of my time doing those things. It even included a link to a test for me to find my greatest strength. No surprise. My greatest strength is CREATOR. I’m now embarking on a journey to nurture that strength and try to stay in my strong moments.

So I ask you again….What are you passionate about? Do you even know?

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Artist's Bio

I was born into a family of artists. My dad loved drawing and painting. My oldest sister went to college on an art scholarship. My middle sister expresses her artistic talent through decorating her home beautifully. And my mom can doodle a mean stick bunny rabbit.

My dad encouraged my artistic talent at an early age and when I was in 5th grade, I took oil painting lessons at the local Rec Center in Sherwood, Arkansas. I painted a few paintings and then for whatever reason, I put down my paintbrush. I then revisited my artistic interests again taking art class in high school encompassing all sorts of medium from pencil drawings to pen and ink to pastels to watercolor to ceramics. In college, I briefly entertained the notion of becoming an art teacher but decided against it when I thought about how difficult it would be to get a job in that field after I graduated. However, I fed my artistic hunger by working at the Art Library at the University of Kentucky where I received my Bachelor of Arts in English.

I didn’t pursue art again for several years. I had children….my two greatest creations. And when they were young, I picked up my paintbrush again and this time painted a panoramic, four-walled mural in the Sunday school classroom of First United Methodist Church in Prescott, Arkansas, where my husband was a pastor. I worked long hours but never tired. You would think I had some inclination that maybe THIS is what I was meant to do, but I took a major detour.

After both my children were old enough to attend school, I pursued my Doctorate of Physical Therapy. I knew it would be a stable job and I would be able to help people. But this was still not my passion, which I will address over time in my blog.

I’m not sure how I finally got back into art but recent events in my life have fallen into too neat of an arrangement for it to be pure coincidence. I have prayed. I have read. I have asked questions and received answers. All leading me to what I should have done a long time ago.

I guess my best explanation is….it’s a God thing.

I am drawn to color….vibrant color…..bordering on Fauvism. I like looking at things from different angles, different perspectives, discovering the unnoticed and finding something worth noticing and drawing attention to that. I’ve not yet figured out exactly what my niche will be, but through prayer seeking God’s direction, I’m sure He will reveal it to me. He has been wooing me back to this throughout my entire life.

I invite you to join me on this journey.