My Mother's Words Remembered
Several years ago, I was working in our art booth at a Morgan horse show at the Monroe, Washington Fairgrounds. I had already completed 8-9 airbrush portraits on tee shirts that day, and new orders were stacking up. My partner, Cheryl Wofford, was handling the orders, and I was smiling, and disappearing into each project as completely as possible to get everything done.
We had stacks of screen printed shirts, airbrushed designs, and blank shirts around us, and customers strained to watch as I airbrushed portraits with splashes of permanent colors onto pristine, white shirts, freehand, "on the fly". My shoulders and wrists were burning from several hours of effort.
A lady in a pretty, sparkly top, made it to the front of the crowd, and I could see the sparkles of her shirt out of the corner of my eye as I worked. I glanced away from my easel, to see what she had tossed onto the table beside me. It was a folded shirt in a clear plastic package. It showed part of a very detailed painting of a bay Morgan mare.
I glanced at the area right around the horse's eye. Boy, what a nice detailed job on that eye. I could never do that, as my style was so free, and I dislike doing every picky detail. I never imagined I could achieve that level of excellence.
I turned back to the shirt on my easel. The lady started talking to my partner, and suddenly, I knew that distinctive, deep voice. I shifted my gaze to the right and saw her face. I recognized my client from yesterday. That was my artwork on her packaged shirt.
I had become the artist I never thought I would be. My mother would often say to me, "you can do anything you set your mind to, Stacey. Never forget that you're just as good as anybody else." The memory of her words came flooding back.
Although my mother had died when I was just 16, her words sounded from my heart. I had proved my own doubtful thoughts wrong, and I knew my mother's advice was right.
My mother gave me the key, “You can do anything if you set your mind to it”. When one of our four daughters expresses frustration over things, like "drawing like mom can," I remind them of this story.
I hope you may share it with your children, too. It's all in how you believe in yourself, and it's really true, "You can do anything if you set your mind to it."
AWhiteHorse.com™ is dedicated to my family.
