Fine Art Friday #8
Hey Courtney!
I could finally breathe.
Friend – to be honest I wrote this email a month and a half ago, but am only just now able to share it because, well, life. SO let me take you back in time –
I’m sitting here on a plane from San Diego where I just painted a wedding, and it feels surreal for two reasons.
1. Painting this wedding was a total dream.
2. I made this flight by the skin of my teeth
Here’s how it started:
I (knowing absolutely nothing about San Diego) ask the attendant at the Alamo counter for all the 411 on flying out. When should we arrive? What time should we drop off the car? How does the shuttle work? Anthony kindly answered all my annoying questions, and when we ended the conversation I clarified these three details.
💥Security doesn’t open until 5:30 am
💥Rental car shuttles run constantly in the morning
💥Arriving between 5 and 5:30 would give us plenty of time to get to the gate.
Listen — I’m the person that wants to arrive 2.5 hours before the flight just TO SIT AND WAIT. I’m that afraid of missing my flight.
My body inevitably wakes me up ahead of time (case in point, woke up at 3:24 this morning and dozed until my alarm went off at 4:10 because little baby decided to nurse all night). At this point, I jumped out of bed, put on my clothes, packed my bag, and brought everything out so it was ready to go.
I also know I move slowly — probably why I always feel in a rush — so I have to anticipate when we’re going to leave and be ready ahead of time.
A couple sips of coffee later we were out the door. Mapping our way to the airport – a smooth ride, no one on the road. Here I am thinking – we're in the clear! We're doing AMAZING!
We meander the roads around the construction at the San Diego airport – goodness gracious this is difficult – and make our way to the rental car return.
Drop the car off, walk to the rental car shuttle, and I'm thinking WE MADE IT! We did it! WOO HOO!
Only to find – much to my dismay – TWO rental car shuttle lines 200+ people deep who all apparently were told the same thing. You would've thought TAYLOR SWIFT was on that bus.
And let's be real – expletives go off in my head. There was no seat saved on that shuttle.
In what I thought would be my only hail Mary of the morning, I ordered an Uber from the rental car return to the airport…
Check my bags at the fancy check-in outside.
You know you're late, right? (there goes a big FAT tag on my bag that says LATE CHECK-IN – cool.)
Yes, I'm aware thank you. The rental car line was 200+ people when I was told security wasn't even open yet. Thank you.
Meanwhile, I make my way into the security line only to wait for 10 minutes and find out I'm IN THE WRONG LINE.
And guess what – apparently all those people from the rental car return were in MY LINE about a mile and a half (okay, maybe not that much, but at 6:12 and my flight boards in 8 minutes, I've gotten in the wrong line, it sure seemed like that) outside the security entrance.
Y'all – it was the bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, and this was my ONE SHOT to get to my gate on time.
I prayed, and just started ASKING PEOPLE (much to my own mortification) if I could go by them because (I'm in tears at this point) PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE CAN I GO BEFORE YOU BECAUSE I HAVE A 7 MONTH OLD ATTACHED TO ME AND MY FLIGHT BOARDS IN 8 MINUTES AND I WAS TOLD SECURITY DIDN'T EVEN OPEN UNTIL 5:30 SO IT WAS POINTLESS TO GET HERE BEFORE THEN AND … AND… AND… …
One by one, people kindly and generously moved over and let me through.
And they could've easily said, “Poor planning on your part doesn't constitute an emergency on my part.”
🙋♀️🙋♀️🙋♀️Raise your hand if your high school teacher said that to you…
BUT THEY DIDN'T!
And y'all, as one by one each person moved over so I could go by, it was such a beautiful reminder that there are good people in the world.
After that whirlwind, and now that I'm safely on the plane (MADE IT!) it really hit me how important it is to treasure those instances of genuine connection and goodwill.
In the hustle and bustle of life, it's easy to forget, but these moments remind us of the beauty in humanity.
I am SO VERY GRATEFUL to each and every one of you for being part of this weird experiment that is creative entrepreneurship. Your love and support for my art and your willingness to join me in these extraordinary life adventures and sometimes weird stories through email means the world to me.
You are the beating heart of my creative community, and I am truly thankful for your presence.
Now, for my segway –
Days can be long, but years are short. My husband and I still feel like we’re those two kids around the fire pit obsessed with each other, but here we are and Facebook has the nerve to show us memories saying *14 years ago* — my, how time has flown.
Life is crazy, and life happens. It's easy to forget those precious moments of how beautiful life really is.
And when your wedding photos are replaced by maternity, baby, and family photos, and your priceless wedding album gets put away for safe keeping —
no random toothpaste fingers on the album please 🤣 (speaking from experience here)
—a painting will still be there, up on the wall, so you can remember why you chose each other in the first place.
I've been quietly working on something special behind the scenes. Limited edition ornaments will be released SOON— we’re talking like, in the next couple of weeks...
You can also commission a painting from a photo in time for Christmas. This exciting opportunity allows you to commission a personalized painting, crafted right in the cozy confines of my studio. I'm so excited to bring your unique ideas and creative visions to life on paper.
I’m accepting a limited number of these commissions. This is a curated and simplified version of my signature in-studio commissions. All of these pieces will be completed and ready for holiday gifting.
HOW IT WORKS:
1. You send your photo.
2. I paint it.
3. You get MAIL.💌 (hint.. it’s your painting)
4. Frame and hang your painting.
5. Get compliments for the rest of time…
Once more, thank you for your incredible support and for being the extraordinary community that you are. Here's to more adventures, more artistry, and more heartwarming moments of kindness in our lives.
Reading: The Creative Act, a Way of Beingby Rick Rubin
Watching: Only Murders in the Buildingon Hulu – It's killer (couldn't help but make the pun)
Listening: Our CC memory work and some old school classics by NSYNC…
Loving: These reuseable paper towels, these kid to-do lists that have been life-changing, and the Merit Beauty Five Minute Morning (not an affiliate, just love the product)
*Yes, these are affiliate links. My art supply budget (and now cookbook budget) thank you!
