I recently created Life Unbound, a monthly art collection for art lovers like you. I wanted to offer my supporters more than a place to donate. I wanted to give you something tangible in return for supporting my art. That's how Life Unbound came about. Twelve paintings. Collectible postcards. Art cards to keep or share. Life moves. Art remembers.

I just sold an original painting on my website. "Farm Life" 24" x36 " framed. I never know when the right person will come across one of my paintings and decide to have it for their own.

I added a bit more to my abstract. It is getting closer to being finished. I took two pictures, so I can compare which way the painting should be hung.

I am at the point to either stop or keeping painting the abstract. Not sure what to do.

There is always two stories. Yours and theirs.

I made a video today at Images Art Gallery of the artists moving to new areas. It is a lot of work deciding how best to show our art. Enjoy an insider look at a gallery.

Some days I need to watch my older brother paint and talk. He has been gone 7 years now, but he is still my inspiration. fb.watch/v/1mHpTHWd_/?fs=e

I am wiped out today in a good way. Yesterday, I met many amazing artists and was inspired by all of their art. Most artists are not comfortable selling their own art. They do like to talk about the meaning behind each individual piece they create. A man came by and loved my abstract "Emergence." He asked me why I named it Emergence and how I chose the colors. We talked for about 15 minutes, and he went off to see the rest of the art. About 30 minutes later, he came back with his wife. He tried to drag her over to the painting. She looked at it and shook her head. Nope... I laughed to myself. He was a bit disappointed, but he accepted her "no." When it comes to decorating the home, women usually win the conversation with a shake of the head. No words needed.

Sold “Joy” today at Art on Oak.

2nd day at Art on Oak,

Do you ever open up 𝕏 and think, what the heck is going on? Topics runout of steam and fizzle out. Usually the next trending topic on my little slice of 𝕏 has a bridge from one topic to the next one. Not this morning…

Joy | Original Acrylic Painting pforbesart.com/product/joy-o… via @Power_WithinU

Posting on social media is not a competition.
Yet it is a competition. You might get mad at me and say,  “Not me! I am here to make friends only.” Yeah, I tried to convince myself I was above needing attention. But my B.S. radar went off; likes, repost and replies do feed my need for social recognition.   Once you assign value to something, the competition starts.
 Social media has two economies, attention and money. Attention and recognition meet our social and emotional needs.  Commerce meets our survival needs. 
 Selling on social media reminds me of the old-time newspaper kids fighting over the best place to shout and sell their newspapers.
Cold and hungry, they competed for survival. Social media is like any city in the world, except we are safe and warm in our homes and not hawking our wares on the street. We all sell our wares and seek attention; it's our nature to do so for physical and mental survival.

My thoughts this morning: "I need to write a post for X." "I cannot think (thoughts obviously lying)." "Dang it. I forgot what I wrote on each postcard and now I have to wait until the order processes on Canva." "Now I am behind creating the art cards." My stomach growls. "Those cream cheese chicken enchiladas were so good last night. Even my husband was less grumpy." Cough. "I hope it's allergies, not something worse." "I cannot get sick before the Art on Oak show." Ugh. My thoughts drive me crazy.

It was better when I was a child when I didn't know many words. Now my thoughts are arguing like two stubborn and opinionated people. They never shut up…

I never would have thought that creating an abstract painting is difficult. I can paint oceans all day. It is simple. Sky above, ocean below. When creating an abstract, you let go of all your preconceived thoughts about form. The rules do not apply. Letting the movement of your brushstrokes lead you is not natural. Your mind wants steer the image toward something recognizable. Your heart wants to express what it cannot utter. The painting “Between the Lines” has a personal meaning for me. Yet it is open for your interpretation. pforbesart.com/product/betwe…

Today, I had an opportunity to practice acceptance over resistance. We spend energy resisting the moment, instead of accepting and responding. Acceptance happens before we act. By accepting, our thoughts are not cluttered with what we wanted to happen instead. After acceptance, our mind is clear to respond to the reality of what happened. I was frustrated that I hadn’t sold any of MY artwork yet. My thoughts kicked into gear telling me how my art sucked. While my thoughts were beating me up, I realized that I hadn’t accepted that I hadn’t sold anything. I paused and took a deep breath. I thought to myself, just accept it. My frustration disappeared. This time I didn’t resist the reality of the situation. I accepted and moved on with my day. I did make a sale later in the day. It was an art card. Not a lot of money. Instead of wishing it was an expensive original piece of art, I was happy someone walked out of the door with a piece of my art. I had a great day today talking with people who, like me, love discussing art. The co-op gallery made sales, and I went home content.

We resist what we don't want and cling to what we desire. We fight to stop one moment and fight to preserve another, even though both moments are going to pass. If we allow each moment to be as it is, we can experience peace no matter what the moment brings.

Great question!