How I got Started in Mixed Media Painting

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How I got Started in Mixed Media Painting

how-kellie day-got-started-in-mixed-media-painting

kellie day painting in her art journal on the beach in mexicoHappy Spring!

Are you yearning to make more Art in this energetic season? 

When I first realized I wanted art to be a bigger part of my life, I was a single mother with a toddler. I saw an ad for a class in Mexico on mixed media painting that would cost me, with airfare, almost exactly what I had in my savings.

It was a not a logical decision, it was a heart decision. I bought the ticket, and it started my entire art life.

Making heart-based decisions is how I’ve spent my entire adult life. I take intuitive risks. Because listening to your head – in Art or life – will always keep you safe. And that means you won’t grow

The minute my spark was lit with mixed media painting, I was on fire. I was almost 40 and my entire life had been missing a deep purpose. I’d tried to fill this hole through years of solo third-world travel and climbing, and then through a failed marriage.

But when all of those went away, I was still left with myself. And “myself” felt that something was missing. That something was my creative calling.

What I learned is that the braver I was, the luckier I became.  

In the coming years of raising my beautiful baby boy solo, I went through many painting classes, years of painting and teaching art, along with running my own graphic design studio as a deeply creative soul.

And then one day it clicked. I put all of it together – this 20 years of Art, adventure, love and loss – and I created a life as an Artist.

It was not easy. I was a sensitive person, and I felt hurt a LOT. But I also FELT a lot, which meant that the things that moved me, really moved me. So I learned to express them through painting.

In the end, my sensitivity, although very painful, was also my greatest gift.

When I first started getting serious about my painting I had to learn to believe in my ability, and quiet my extremely self-critical inner voices.

I also had a lot of questions.
– how to combine the materials
– how to work my way through the process
– how to approach a subject and paint it or draw it from my own voice
– and mostly (as a single mom), how to find time to be an artist.

I wasn’t sure how to start a painting that wasn’t a still life. Where do the ideas come from? And what are the little things I can do to keep my art practice going when I don’t have time to make an entire painting? And of course, I wanted to make beautiful art.

I felt that somewhere deep inside I had something extraordinary to offer. And I was hell bent on uncovering it.

This is the thing about our supposed weaknesses – they are often our greatest strengths. I had a fighter inside of me. And now I was fighting for my Art.

What I found is that making art is not about be “bad” or being good enoughthat’s a load of crap. Making great Art is about these three things:

  1. Uncovering WHO you are
  2. Figuring out HOW the hell to express that
  3. Being willing to share who you are (and that takes cojones the size of Texas)

… Or as Brene Brown would say, it takes being willing to be vulnerable.

“Beautiful art is not about making a pretty painting with a perfect shape. It’s about finding your voice and being the Artist you really are.”

When women are not in connection with their heart, they are in their head. And all Art that is greater than us, comes from our heart.

Art is about so much more than learning techniques. It’s about giving up total control of making a masterpiece, and learning to play again. Like a kid. This is the process I developed, and it’s entirely built on learning to tap into inspiration, get the creative juices flowing, and learning a step by step process to unlock the Artist within.

I finally feel fulfilled as an Artist and know who I am. I now share what I’ve learned with my Art Mentoring students, and take a few students on each month who are ready to learn the process for being a thriving Artist as well.  

I’ve mentored hundreds of creative women to become thriving Artists… And if they can do it, so can you. This week I’m opening up a few spots on my calendar for a few committed women who are ready to unleash their Art. Is that you?…

If so, you can click here to book an Art Breakthrough call with me. We’ll find out what’s holding you back, and if I can help you, I’ll show you what that looks like. 

Please don’t book a call with me if you’re just looking for free information. You must be ready to make your Art a priority and invest in yourself. If that’s you, I’d love to talk with you.

This is your moment to say yes to you. Thinking about your Art won’t get you there. Only action will. So take this one step, and unlock your art for the rest of your life. 

Talk with you soon,


ps. Scroll down to see what my latest students are doing…

Click here to book your Art Breakthrough Call.

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