Yep - there are some big changes a-foot for me. I have been spending a lot of time and putting a lot of effort and prayer and thought into some serious soul searching, goal setting and planning.
Before I get into that - if I even do - I want to tell you I MISSED you guys!! It has been a very long time since we have met together here in blog-world, or cyber-space. Thank you friends and followers - for hanging in there with me and being patient.
Here is a little bit about some of the changes. You will just have to watch and see some of them as they take place, becasue even I don't know what they look like yet.
Oh, where to start? Let me do it this way:
1. In a nut shell, I have been contemplating giving up painting on any real serious or regular basis and pursuing business or something else. So far painting has not been all that profitable for me. I was building a business and an income on eBay when I listened to "Nay-Sayers" that criticized my doing it and discouraged me from selling on eBay and so, against my greater desire, I backed off that. I am sorry I listened to them. However - that is water under the bridge.
The fact is I love to paint, I love to make things, I love art. It is a gift that God has given me - I cannot neglect it. So I am not quitting.
2. However, I really enjoy people and I really enjoy business. Being a studio artist can be very, very isolating. I want more people interaction in my life - real, live, warm, breathing, sit across the table and touch them kind of people. While I love my internet friends and appreciate you all - I need more live humans in my life to be balanced and happy. That is another gift that God has given me and I can't neglect that either.
3. I love playing on the internet and spend WAY too many hours doing it. I am intrigued by the idea of making money by being online, I am intrigued by network marketing. I am curious. I think it can work to supplement my income, thus taking some of the pressure off my artistic endeavors, allowing me to be even more experimental and free in my art.
4. I am a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, my Lord, my God, my Savior, my All. Don't freak out - I am not going to beat you with my Bible - LOL. But the fact is I am a believer and it is an enormous part of who I am. The truth is I have tried pretty hard to avoid saying to much "religious" stuff on my blog for fear of offending anyone. That will end right here.
5. I am politically interested and active. I am a conservative with some libertarian leanings. Or maybe I am a libertarian with heavy conservative leanings. Not sure how to categorize me but I am patriotic - I LOVE my country, I love our Constitution and Bill of Rights and I will fight for it. Again - I have kept my political views pretty much separate from my art. The majority of the art community are liberals and progressives, and I am sorry to say I have lost a few "friends" from posting my political comments here. I will probably continue to keep my views separate - you can always check my
"I May Not Be A Genius, But...." blog. On the other hand...maybe not, we will see.
6. I have been spending a ridiculous amount of time and energy trying to keep my art, my spirituality, and my businesses all separate. I was afraid that my art friends would be annoyed and bored with my business endeavors, and my business friends wouldn't care at all about my art, and any spiritual or religious aspects would just annoy everyone. It has made me feel very fragmented - and it just makes so much more work for myself.
So I guess it all boils down to this: I am a believer who is a full time artist with an interest in the health and wellness industry, and also network marketing. That is me and that is who I am. It might be a little bit of a strange mix, or maybe not, it is what it is.
I am going to be working to get all of "me" merged into mostly one place. I do not yet know how I will be doing this but I will be doing it - watch and see what happens.
I have not been painting. As I said I have been contemplating, praying, seeking, trying to figure out how to organize and put this all together into one cohesive whole me, or thing, whatever. I don't have all the answers yet. But since God won't drive a parked car, I have put myself in drive and I am moving. It will be an adventure to see where this all takes me.
You will be seeing much more abstract work from me. I have to - and I mean I HAVE to - finish the Joyful-Joyful project. I will probably continue the traditional Hymns painting series - I already have another hymn in mind for after Joyful-Joyful. My paintings will be changing I think - much more intuitive - we will see, won't we?
I am THRILLED to announce that I have lost 36.6 pounds as of today and have 21.6 more pounds to go to reach my tentative goal. I feel great and I look pretty darn good - at least compared to where I was. If any of you are interested in what I am doing to lose the weight please email me. I have information and a link for where you can get the product I use. I am an affiliate for this product, I get a small commission. My affiliate agreement does not permit t me to post the link anywhere on line - so email me for it. That is the only way I can get the information to you. It is amazing how effective and easy this has been. Eventually there will be a permanent reminder about it on this site.
Also I found an incredible new product called SoZo, made from the fruit of the coffee plant that is just amazing. It is loaded, and I mean
loaded with anti-oxidants. Like 625 times the anti-oxidants of blueberries. One 3 oz serving of this tasty beverage is the equivalent of 16-20 servings of fruits and vegetables. The testimonials of people who have been using it are pretty incredible. There will be links to that on my site in the near future, until then check out
www.sozolife.com/nsdavis or
www.nathaliedavis.com (still under construction but should be up and running any day now - there are links there now that will take you to more information) or just email me.
I think one of my first goals is to start making enough income from SoZo, my online network marketing, and of course my paintings, to be able to rent a big studio space in a very public place where I can paint and still have people around me a lot. I don't get lonely and I don't have problem being alone, but when I can go a month or more without ever leaving my house - I wouldn't even have to get dressed if I didn't want to - well, that really isn't the way I want to live anymore. I am not complaining - there are things I really like about that lifestyle - I just want more now.
That is more than enough for now. I don't have a painting but I can't leave you without a picture of some sort.
This is the Riu Santa Fe Resort where we stayed in Cabo San
Lucas last week. It was just beautiful.
The grounds were just stunning with neatly trimmed blooming bougainvillea hedge rows everywhere. I can't believe I got these picture without people in them - what luck! Although they said the resort was full and the place was huge - it never seemed crowded at all.
I have no idea how many pools there are at this place - but this vanishing edge pool was the one closest to our room. It was cool to see cruise ships come in several times. We had a wonderful time. even though we had never been to Cabo San Lucas, we never left the premises. We had seminars for most of the morning and we just relaxed and chilled and visited with amazing people we met there. We had a great time.
Have you visited me here?
I May Not Be A Genius, But...
Nathalie Davis web site
