Looking in the mirror

Every emotion sparks creativity for me. But I seem to be most creative when I have an attitude. Not just any attitude, but the Walter attitude. lol. I'm also creative when I'm angry or in deep thought.  Hmmmm interesting. Why do you care? Welp, you don't have to but I'm sharing dang on it. GOOD MORNING!!! :)

These past few months I've made many observations about myself as an artist. Like my creative process and the way I work.
I guess what sparked these observations was my reflecting on questions of the past. Just thinking about past interviews and really putting more thought into them now. When simple questions were asked such as, "What inspires you" my response was appropriate at the time. But then I thought to myself, well what does inspire me?
 I paint from my heart and whatever lies within it. There may be a particular song that I'm listening to that peaks creativity and it could be non-related to the words or mood of the song. It's weird, I know. But I'm okay with that. :)
Like when I'm feeling a bit sassy, or have an attitude, upset, or really angry about something...those moods don't necessary reflect what is on canvas. If I'm having a dark day, you won't see dark colors.
I paint the opposite of what I'm feeling because that's what I long for I suppose. This doesn't happen in every case, just some. I don't want you looking through my portfolio seeing how bright things are and thinking, hmmm she's an angry individual. lol That's not the case at all. I'm a very peaceful, humble person. Everyone has their moments. lol
This journey has been simply amazing and I look forward to where God is going to take me. Around 2011 I claimed victory mine. I didn't know what that meant or how I would achieve it, but I felt it in my spirit and I claimed it.
Just watching how this is all happening, I'm living in that victory and loving it. Feeling blessed and thankful for everyone that has supported me near and far.

Claim your victory. It's yours for the taking.
Believe in yourself first, others will follow.
You are only as successful as you allow yourself to be!


Have a blessed and productive day.

~AmW
Estetika Exposure: Art by AmW

Allow me to reintroduce myself

Allow me to reintroduce myself...

Wow! That's all I can say. I haven't been on here in ages.

Discovery of Self

Each day is a discovery of self. Focusing on yourself can be a bit difficult at times. Too often we find ourselves focusing on the needs and desires of others, putting our best interests on the back burner. I'm not saying that we shouldn't help others, but we also need to help ourselves. As the saying goes, we have to start with love for ourselves before we can love others. Love yourself enough to help yourself!

We allow people to be a distraction and we also allow ourselves to be a distraction. We may not see ourselves as a distraction, but at times we can be! We have to stop doing that and setting ourselves up for failure. I say WE because I include myself in this. There is no better time like the present for change.

Get your calculators out because its time to do some math. It's time to do some subtraction and remove people from your life that try and hold you back. Do not give them the satisfaction. It's time to do some addition to your process so that it will equal a greater amount in the quality of your life. Sounds like a good  equation to me.

Broken Things, New Life.

Every time something breaks in the house, I feel compelled to keep it; telling myself I could use it some way in my art. Smh. I'm going to be on the next edition of hoarders if I don't stop it lol. Okay, I'm not that bad but I almost immediately think about how I could use it in a painting or maybe even adventure off to doing sculptures. The possibilities are endless!

My vintage lamp was broken while I was out of town. It still 'works'. I'm thinking about what I can do with it. I'm not attached to things, I just like being creative! lol. If I can't think of anything, for sure it will be going in the trash.

Finish Line

Often times we find ourselves constantly distracted, losing sight of what we set out to do. It can be anything! Once we fall off or lose sight of what we are trying to accomplish, its important not to remain stagnant. Get up, dust yourself off, and walk in a different direction towards success. Claim your victory and get to the finish line.

I'm claiming my victory, are you?

A mixed media painting by artist Richard Liley of South East, UK.

V is for Victory.

The bad news is time flies...

"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot." ~  Michael Althsuler

It has been AGES since I posted updates on here. Yikes!!! I think my last post was back in June or July! 
Welp, let's not dwell in the past but focus on the future. I often encourage people I interact with online and offline, to take everyday as an opportunity. An opportunity to work towards your short-term and long term goals. An opportunity to be greater than you were yesterday. No matter how big or how little of a step you take, take those steps towards what you aspire to do or be. As the saying goes, you have to crawl before you walk, walk before you run, run before you can fly. Okay, I added the "run before you can fly". But hey, why not! lol. Take flight and soar. Spring your wings and don't limit yourself. Believe that you can and you will. You're only as successful as you allow yourself to be. I'm not saying anything new, but saying it as as a reminder for myself as well. Lately I've been struggling with what I want to do, what is my mission, what are my goals and where am I trying to take them. I know that I am not alone and will be successful. Have a great weekend and be sure to check out www.estetikaexposure.com for updates, online shopping, and much more! 

Update on ATC challenge

As a member of The Art Colony, in a short period of time I've been able to learn a lot from other artist and photographers. As I continue my journey  with connecting with my art, I'll be trying new things, styles, techniques.

One of the challenges I've taken on thus far will be participating in a ATC swap (art trading card). Artist from around the world create small works of original art on a 2.5 inches X 3.5 inches (6cm X 9cm) card and then swap/trade with other artist based on a theme. 

This particular swap I participated in, the theme was Africa. I'll be shipping one of each to England, Canada, and Australia. I'll also be receiving these small works of art from England, MS, and IL. 

Here are the art trading cards that I've created. Africa is so full of color and culture. I'll probably be creating some more of these pieces and sell in sets of 6. Just another adventure!