A friend told me about the first time she went with her dad where he worked as a physician in a hospital, and how she liked the sounds and the smell of the place, how she knew there and then this is what she wants to do with her life.
I remember an art historian from the city coming to our tiny library in my hometown to give a talk about art, which must have been around 1986. For some reason my dad said I should join him and so we went. I recall to this day her showing an image of Giotto, a medieval artists monk, and my heart soared. I mean that is pretty unusual for a 15 year old to be excited about such a dull topic. I was interested in it and it made me curious about art. She didn't even give a talk about relatable art and yet there was a tug at the heart .
I did go and study art after school and after three joyous years, got a diploma. But I chose to do other jobs as making a life as an artist takes bravery, and it seemed very daunting and success seemed improbable.
All along art called at me, tugged at me, beckoned me. It was ever in my mind. Through the years I made art on and off. Hardboard propped up against a table or crawling on a floor or drawing at kitchen tables, but life and especially work got in the way. You need momentum to make art well and make it consistently and get really good at it.
I thought about art, and about making art, I daydreamed about making specific pieces. I read about it. Eventually to quell the thirst for it and to fathom it’s depths, I started studying it part time, this time for a university degree whilst I worked another job. I achieved that goal. I felt connected to that world again.
Artists make things from nothing and then they are brave enough to show it and share it. I never met a cat I don’t like and I never met an arty type I don’t like, and like cats they might not even be easy to understand.
Art is a calling, and if it calls you, don’t resist. It is a relentless lover that will keep pursuing you and if you yield and give yourself to it, it will reward you with the gratification and the fullness of your heart, and the fruit will be for others to enjoy.
Follow me on Instagram @leaniejoubert
Photo of Mirka Madelaine Mora. France
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