Sharika Roland

It is funny that the last post I did had a picture of being in water as this is the topic of this one.
I go to the pool three times a week for water aerobics class.. I really do not enjoy swimming as a sport and so I was not expecting to like this class.
However what I found out is it is nothing like what I imagined.
There are not that many in the group so we have a lot of personal space in the water.
We move through the water in such a way that it is almost like being on another planet. we run and ski and push against the water as though it is jelly air. Thick air that supports you weightlessly. I noticed that I am in the zone the second I get in the water. It is so comfortable to be weightless and free that it is hard to think about anything else but the feeling of floating . We are pushing weights against the water to be sure but it is not the same feeling as when you are lifting weights on land. It feels better than that. It feels like euphoria. everyone in the pool is in the same giddy delight . We have this shared experience of floating in space that is wonderful too.
I have done many different kinds of workouts and they all had loud music in the background. Water exercise is quiet. WE listen to the slapping of our hands against the water and splashing of our legs kicking away. It is a different kind of noise that is more real. Music would be a distraction.
We have floatation things around our middles sometimes and that is a great feeling too. And we have the whole pool.
The entire time from my feet hitting the floor to changing into a suit and the walk down to the pool it is all done in perfect bliss knowing the experience I am about to enjoy. I would say that it is my favorite time of day now by far and to have that be the first thing is amazing. IT makes me feel like the richest person in the world. My husband and I love it so much together and I would recommend it to anyone. And getting to do with with a friend who lives nearby is icing on the cake. more on that part tomorrow.

Starting a new thing is always full of fear. If you have started things in the past and they have not worked out it makes you a little bit more reluctant to try again/ Even if you have been successful in the past it still can make you nervous.
What are we afraid of ??? what others will think of us or pain.
Those are the only two possiblilities. Pain because we lose our money invested and time and who knows what . The other one is even worse. We love it when people think we are great and smart and trusted.
I think the fear of people one is the worst one of the two.
I am writing this today to encourage anyone out there that I for one am thrilled with someone trys a new thing. I applaud them for taking a bold step. I rally emotionally and am cheering for them to be successful. It enriches everyone when you are stretching the boundaries with new ideas. Everyone benefits when you are forging new territory. It helps the whole world really. Even if it does not work out at least you got the earth plowed a little and it will be easier to plant again for someone else. The end result is you have overcome enertia and that is the hardest thing to get out of.

People come up to me all the time and tell me how talented their child is and it seems like they are asking what should they do to help this kid be an artist.
Here is the truth. You are born an artist. It is not dependent on being able to draw really well. Drawing really well is nice but it is not a sign you are an artist.
A born artist does not ever ever ever ask themselves if maybe they should go into art as they have this skill and maybe they should pursue that as a career.
A born artist has no choice but to be an artist. They usually know by the time they are 6 that that is what they will do.
They are just a kid and they declare that they are going to be an artist with such fierceness that sometimes it is a little scary for the parents.
You don’t even have to have natural ability to draw. That is meaningless on its own. Most people think that is the true indicator.
Well it is not.
Here is reality. Nobody should ever have to ask” Do you think my child is an artist?”
A real artist needs no help to know that. none.
a real artist cannot do anything else. They are helpless to choose anything else in the world to do.
That said there is one thing that seems to be pretty consistant with real artists. They act weird compared to everyone else. They feel more and react more and scream more. They throw things around the room when they are mad because they have the fierceness inside of them that must come out and when you are young it is hard to identify what the heck that is.
The fierceness is the river that must flow or you will die.
raising kids like that is like trying to walk a lion. But there is a solution. give them a studio as soon as possible and let them live.
My parents did this for me even though they knew nothing about artists. My Dad put a ballet bar in my room and he also put big panels up so I could paint on them anything I wanted. He bought me paint . My parents did this because they knew I would stop tearing up my room and breaking everything in sight if I painted out the river.
When I see children that are like me I think they need a studio not art lessons. more on art lessons in the next blog…

Although I do try and not paint anything purely erotic sometimes people read into it and it could be construed that way in some cases.
There was one painting I did called French Slip, and it was only a gal in a slip and the slip turned out so pretty I had to commit to it just being a slip. It was pretty abstract too but I did get a lot of comments from people who found it rather erotic.

Well that is just too bad. sometimes it turns out that way and if it is good enough I have to leave it. Sometimes art is really messy and real and sometimes it is sexy but you still have to paint it.

I never start out that way it just sort of happens. If I tried to make it sexy I am sure it would fail.
Isn’t that the most sexy thing about anyone, just them being themselves and not even trying and it just happens?

Art is a strange thing if you think about it. How can something that someone painted or sculpted mean so much to us.
But it does. If my house was burning I would run back in and get the art first. Of all my possessions , I would run in for the art. Art is one of a kind and totally irreplaceable.
You might be able to have the very same artist do a copy but it is not the same on any level.
Art cannot be mass produced.
that is why you pay so much for a live concert. They can do the same songs but it will be a unique experience. We are constantly changing and so what is done now will never be repeated.
I remember the first time I saw a Modigiani in person at the Chicago Art Institute. The real one was nothing remotely like the images in book . the real one had a presence that was overwhelming and shocking and earth shatteringly beautiful and so full of his artist soul that is was like looking into his eyes and seeing to forever.
So in reality that is why people pay a lot of money for art. It will be the most important material thing in your house. everything else can be duplicated but not original art.