So often how others see us can be a revelation to us.
I set up at the Oddities and Curiosities Expo a couple of weeks ago. The vendors and artists of the Expo sell art and bones and glass balls full of the strange and mysterious. The vend diagram of my art falls a wee bit into that category so it's usually a good show for me.
At least ninety percent of the vendors are dressed in black or a flamboyant costume. I felt comfortable in that venue as I love cosplay and even participated as a member of the cast for the local Ren Faire for a couple of years. I enjoy garb and costume.
A customer stopped to talk to me at my booth and she remarked that artists always match their work. Which was interesting to me. I looked down and realized that I was wearing a pink top and black leggings with a lot of pink and red coloring in them. Huh. I always think of myself as the woman in black and yet there I was at an event full of black garbed vendors and I'd chosen to wear pink.
My work can be very colorful (except when it isn't) so I thanked her and enjoyed reflecting that I've changed some things about myself without really being aware of it.
We want to evolve into better versions of ourselves but often we can't remember where we started and can't really tell what sort of progress that we are making. I'm colorful and bright now. Such an unexpected twist for me.
About a month ago, I was chatting with a local artist that I've always thought of as a "gallery artist". She knows how to make the right connections, how to interact with the right people and her work just looks very high end to me. (Small talk is an art that I've never been able to master).
She remarked to me that she'd never be able to do what I do as she found it too hard to hang her art at markets or festivals. The repetitive conversations with passersby can be draining, but the worst part was leaving an event after hours of effort without selling anything, or very little.
I was so busy admiring her skills that it would never have occurred to me that she may feel the same way about me.
I even had a fellow artist tell me that she respected the way I share so many personal stories in my newsletter and in my blog posts. I never would have characterized my writing as brave, because I'd just accepted that I feel better when I don't try to hide who I am. Who would have thought that someone would think I was brave?
I love that we can be more than we know. I love that we can have positive impacts on the lives of others without realizing that our smallest acts can possess power.
I do know that I need to start telling the people in my life the positive things that I think about them and let them know when they're brave and insightful and powerful without even realizing that they are.
I love you all and thank you for being in my life and supporting me on my journey. You're wonderful and I need to take the time to tell you so.