[if you click on the picture once, it takes you to the full picture – I don’t know why it isn’t showing up here.  Then click on that picture for a full sized close up of the picture – you can almost see my fingerprints in the clay!]

Bravery isn’t going fully loaded into battle.  Bravery is being kind to the person who gets on your very last nerve, with a smile and a heart of generosity.

Bravery isn’t standing up and going it alone.  Bravery is reaching out, sharing your story and creating a community of people who do it together.

We have defined “bravery” as such a warlike thing, when in fact it is, some days, just getting out of bed and facing the day.  Or loving yourself where and how you find yourself in this very moment.

Bravery is looking at a piece of work that didn’t quite go as planned and trying again.  I think artists are wonderfully brave because, by definition, they know that they must answer the next question if the work is going to be done.

Here is Beautiful Swimmer finally and at last.  I loved her in her first incarnation that died in the fire.  I loved her in her 2nd incarnation: pristine white. 

As I started painting her, I did not love her much.  I started to feel like I was ruining her.  But I kept at it.  And I LOVE the way she turned out.  It took longer and I thought more about it than originally intended, and it was worth it.

So join me in welcoming her into this world because she seems pretty pleased with her Goddess of the Chesapeake self !

(Yes, she’s for sale:  $650 plus shipping:  info@TammyVitale.com)

And if this post sounds a bit like I’m pleased with myself for facing the fear of failing to bring her to life, it is because I am!  And I’m not afraid to say so!

Wylde Women’s Wisdom

To meet your passion you must jump naked into the deep waters of the unknown.  M. Cassou and S. Cubley

(Want more Wylde Women’s Wisdom and art?  Join Tammy Vitale’s Wylde Women’s Wisdom on Face Book)