However, before I get ahead of myself, it’s worth noting a little background info. In 1996 I hung up my career as a graphic designer and Illustrator. The industry had changed dramatically, art like fashion had become (as it always had) a “young mans sport and with the advent of computerization, changed forever the creative landscape.

Rather then being a programmer and competing against a new generation of talent, I decided to end by career as an artist, it was one of the toughest calls I ever made. Unlike other professions the creative world forever evolves and changes, and a new era of creativity thus becomes the standard…like old soldiers, old artists…simply fade away.  

I suspect that in a world where most people work and make a living at careers they don’t particularly like…I was indeed lucky. I loved what I did, and made an excellent living doing it, and I won awards doing what I loved. It was my passion and I never considered what I did for a living, “work”…it was indeed a great ride, while it lasted. And though my writings became an extended outlet of expression, there was still a void.

And while I avoided the obvious, my lady and friends knew better. They cajoled me, pushed me, and nagged me, until I admitted to myself that indeed I still had that itch, and I came to realize that old artists like old soldiers have trouble just fading away. 

So six months ago I embarked on reestablishing myself as an “artist” my graphic design and art directing days and running an advertising agency were indeed over, at this stage of my life, the last thing I wanted to do is get back into that rat race.  However as an artist, illustrator and cartoonist that itch still needed to be scratched, and the question I needed to ask myself was…was I still an “artist”? Did I still have what it takes? I hadn’t touched a brush in almost 15 years…remember I’m a Scorpio and revisiting bumpy roads is not something I do well…when I’m through with something…I’m through!

However this time I needed to know, my studio was locked for almost 15 years and I rally ventured in, and when I did I paid little attention to my surroundings, however everything was as I left it.  My drawing board, pens, colored pencils, T-square, rulers, illustration boards, tissue pads, etc, etc. All that was missing was an “artist” to utilize this stuff, and I must admit that when I sat at my drawing board, for the first time in 15 years a brief moment of panic flashed by, and though it lasted but a few seconds, it did give me pause, and I thought “what if a lost my hand…could I still draw”? Ironically I hadn’t thought about that in almost 20 years, I just assumed I could, and now I’m sitting at my drawing board, afraid to know.

The point to all of this, is simply this…life is a journey, and the road we travel will inevitably have its twists and turns and at times be bumpy and if we travel long enough we’ll at times run into dead ends. However if we’re not afraid to take a detour every once and awhile, we may end up back, where we started, and while that may be a bad thing for most “to end up where we started”, for me it was simply coming full circle to what I was destined to do.

Anyway, I’ve just completed my third art exhibition in the village, and we’ve just scheduled our seventh craft show for November and December, promoting our greeting card line and I’ll be teaching a few art courses in 2010.

Regards,

Amo