2009

Alright, the new year is almost here... so now what. If you think about, it there really isn't anything particularly special that happens as we pass from Dec 31st to January 1st. Except that it gives us the opportunity to close out a small chapter of our lives and open a new one. A new beginning creates the opportunity for change. At this unique period of my life and that of my family I look forward with great anticipation for the new skills I will acquire. Now is a time of preparation. We are preparing for the time when our income will rely completely on the skills I am gaining and developing now. This Christmas we went down to my brother's house and spent a week there. They have a beautiful house with a lot of land. We look forward to the day we will hopefully have a little land and a house of our own. A place where our girls can run and play. As we look forward to and plan for the future, I think it is important to recognize what we have accomplished in the past and understand the many blessings God has granted us. The opportunity to attend school in New York I believe is a blessing from God. It has been interesting seeing everything come together in order to allow my family and I to move out here and pursue art. One of the reasons I wanted to pursue art was to find out how far can I take my artistic abilities-how good can I get? Not only do we need to recognize what we have accomplished and how, but we need to set goals or specific opportunities to evaluate our progress and determine how to alter our behavior to accomplish what we want. I plan on spending this new years eve pondering how I can take full advantage of what God has given me to develop my art work this coming year. I also plan on thinking about what are the needs of my family and how I can better meet those needs and assist them as they grow and develop this coming year. How exciting. This year will bring great promise. As long as I can see where I am headed, take time to evaluate and reevaluate, and execute. We are indeed living the dream.

Christmas is Coming

I can't believe Christmas is around the corner. It seems like it was yesterday we made the move out here to start school. As I look back it is amazing to see how much I have developed, not just artistically. The last four months have been an incredible period of growth that has stretched both me and my family. Through those periods of tugs

and pulls we have learned to be

(above: Salt Lake City Temple)

content with less monetary possessions and I believe learn to see the brighter side of human nature. God has certainly blessed us through the tender actions of others. My wife has become a consultant for a home based company and it has been interesting to see her rise to the challenge of selling. Me, I am excited about the progress in art work and as a student. When I say student it is a little different than what comes to mind for most people. I received my undergraduate in Spanish with a minor in pre-dental. I developed the necessary study skills to perform well, but in this classical program it is a lot different. It is more than just simple regurgitation.

An art education won't give you all the answers. It gives you the basic tools, but then you have to use those tools to discover universal truths. For example when you draw a hand there are specific characteristics that make a hand look like a hand. You don't necessarily have to draw every little detail, but those overall universal relationships have to be in place for your drawing to look like a hand. One of those truths is the spacing between the fingers. If you naturally spread your fingers apart you'll notice that the space between your thumb and index finger is the largest. Then jump across to the farthest side, your pinky and ring finger create the second largest space. Again jump back to the other side and between your index and middle finger and finally the narrowest space is between your middle and ring finger. Now there are occasional exceptions, but this holds true for most people and maintaining this relationship helps the hand feel natural. Any way I feel like I have become a true student always looking for these truths in my everyday observations. Seeking a greater understanding of the world around me. As I look back on this first half of the academic year one other lesson that I feel has been necessary for my growth is learning the fine balancing act at comparing myself with my fellow peers. At the beginning of the year I didn't want any one looking at my work. I felt like my work was a reflection of who I am and frankly... it's not. Now there is a benefit to looking at others work and letting them look at yours. If you look closely, you'll notice the most famous artists have always been a part of a community of peers. The friendly competition is fundamental in pushing each other to greater success. I think as I have let go of my fears, including rejection and inadequacies I have allowed myself to grow and develop gaining great insight from my instructors and my peers. We have a great group and I think the next four years will prove to be amazing as we push ourselves to greater heights.