Tag Archives: artist

Let that go.

Posted on by

You may recall that I  was recently inspired by the artwork of Niki Hare. These three pieces are the result. The words are based on a poem I wrote called Egg Salad. You can read it below.

words 006

words 003

words 005

Egg Salad

It’s not normal
to cry over an egg salad sandwich.
You don’t need to tell me this.
I remember watching his tattoo
as he cracked five eggs,
each shell shattering itself
again and again
on the tips of  his fingers.
He wasn’t wearing a shirt.
I had red lipstick and cleavage,
both a little too much in the bright
light of the kitchen.
We were still drunk
with the power of youth,
and didn’t even suspect
the devastation to come.
There was no way to see
the son,
the daughter,
waiting quietly beneath his skin.
There was only my awareness
of his stark beauty and the fact
that I’d never before eaten
egg salad,
which astonished him
beyond measure.
This astonishment explains why
we two left the party,
boiled water in a stranger’s kitchen,
then spent the next seven years
loving each other almost to pieces.
In case you’re wondering –
no, it wouldn’t work out.
But every time I have egg salad
I see him there,and cry over those five dead chickens.
 

Eli Tynan: her story & help with charitable donations

Posted on by
Eli Tynan is an artist. She was kind enough to share her journey with me and today, I would like to share her story with you.
IMG_7692
 Eli focused on music during her younger years, although she has a rich background in art as well; her parents collected art and her grandmother was an artist. She was involved in musical endeavors throughout high school and graduated from university with a major in Music Education. During summers, she worked as a camp counselor for the Art Institute of Chicago. Something was stirring deep inside.
IMG_0495.JPG
 Eli founded and ran a private music school for children and then something life-changing happened. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. From this moment on, her focus was to minimize stress in her life. She took a 14 month break from her life, went to California, and began to focus on her art. She had a realization: the music in her life brought stress and consumed her precious energy while practicing her art was a source of relaxation and peace.
IMG_5942
 Art become healing and transformative in Eli’s life. It was clear that her passions had led her to this place in her life. While Eli had been creative in a musical sense and was comfortable with that, she needed to learn to embrace a vision of herself as an artist. This was a whole new kind of creativity!
IMG_7716
 She hung pieces of her art in her own home and began hearing positive feedback from friends and visitors. Slowly but surely, Eli morphed into an artist. She began interacting in artistic communities online, and talking with people about her art. Suddenly, she realized that she saw herself as an artist.
IMG_7717

When I asked her about the biggest artistic challenge she faces, she mentioned rejection. It’s a fact that artists must live with: not all art is for everyone.  She learned that the best way for her to create art was to focus on process and growth. She makes art for herself. It’s  crucial for her to have the freedom to express her true self in each of her pieces. She has learned to let go of perfectionism and often looks to this quote for inspiration:

“…what does exist, however, is a continuous series of imperfect moments, filled with infinite possibilities and opportunities for you interpret them, and do with them, as you please.” ~ Marc Chernoff

IMG_7775

Dealing with the business of being an artist is a challenge for Eli. Pricing, cataloging, and labeling are part and parcel of being an artist, but this isn’t her favorite part of the job. She tends to overanalyze at times which can make an unpleasant task even more difficult.

Recently, Eli was approached about donating art to a silent auction for charity. She wanted to participate, but was worried about how to assign a value to the art. She didn’t want to devalue the worth of her art or art within the community so she did her homework. This research helped her arrive at a solution which was fair for all.

She recommends this article to learn about how to participate in art fundraisers and this website to find donation guidelines.  Using these resources, Eli was able to draft her guidelines for charitable donations. You can find her version featured here, with other resources at my website, and are welcome to copy it and use as you see fit.

The art in this post was created by Eli Tynan. Click any piece to visit her FB page to see what other terrific things she is working on.

As always, you are invited to visit my website. I’d love to have you!