Denise...you really get me and my art. I've once read that people can't have the power to hurt you, through words or actions, unless you allow them to or there is a part of you unhealed which resonates with the malice you are being served. I often wanted to believe that people generally mean well. I think most of them do. I also believe that those who end up hurting others , intentionally or not, are themselves in great pain. But this does not mean that they should have a pass for saying or doing mean things to others. The human soul is so complex....

People can be mean and cruel. I look at my own history and see how my talent for art and my desire to make a living from art was mocked since an early age. I was often told when I was little artists starve and have no money. You will be selling paintings at the street corners struggling if you choose this. Family members who did not know any better. This followed me along. I look back and now I can see that an adult who failed in their own personal or professional life has no right to cut anyone's wings. Many parents or partners often do this. Cruel indeed.
I continued to draw and paint as a refuge. Until this very day I never sold one single creation. Now that I want to change my career and pursue drawing for a living...I was greeted with mixed feelings from different people. Some told me go for it, you have the talent, you can do this, I support you, others told me oh so you think you can do this when others already have done this for years and struggle, who do you think you are?, others have said that is not an actual job, to tattoo and make art, come on, get a serious job, others mocked me telling me how you just want to slack and sit to draw because you don't like to work. I have gotten bad things from people in regards to my art or my tattoo dream, I have gotten great encouraging vibes too from other people as well. I am even more careful with whom I share my dreams now because I can see how much emotional damage can someone so cruel do, something which no soul should ever receive. Denise...what I feel that I am slowly learning through my journey in life is that discovering people who genuinely feel joy when you dream or accomplish something or dare to think of doing something new....are RARE. I value so much the positive feedback because it soothes a soul and a mind who has heard from such an early age that her talent means squat in this materialistic world. Through my art I am also slowly building myself up , coping with past trauma and with my past ghosts. I find myself through it and I am happy that, despite the emotional cruelty, I still believe in myself that, somehow, I can do this...making art a living. Somehow. Thank you for your gentle words, they went straight to my soul and made me open up. I was just talking with a client from my salon, telling her how I dream of nicely framing ALL of my artworks when I will have my own tattoo studio.

It all starts with a dream, right Denise? 🤗⚘