Creating a Life With Depth and Color

I am starting my second year of being a more inspiring, prosperous artist. For the past month, I have been working on my Who, Why and What of my art business and even though it hasn't been easy, I have found that is has been an organic process for me.

Rene's Red Guitar

The mixed media on canvas phase of my art business started 4 years ago when I painted a "Red Guitar" for my friends Danny and Rene. I loved it so much that I just kept painting red guitars. Within a month I manifested a guitar playing boyfriend. (Be careful what you paint, you will manifest it!) Now I paint them because they inspire those that like music and  I have added other instruments to the series.

Last year I started painting my "Luna Chick" series. The paintings of young melancholy girls came from a deep emotional place that needed to be healed within me. I realized, after I saw the response,  realizing that many people have that inner child that needs healing. I have been told that my Luna Chicks seem to look into their soul and heal them. I have had so many people tell me that they are touch by them on a deep level and that they are very inspiring and empowering and end up buying one because they feel like they just can't live without it. Especially women. They felt that the positive affirmations hanging on the wall would create positive change.  I am familiar with that feeling. When I find music that touches me, I can listen to it for hours. I am now certain that the true purpose of my art is to reach out to people and inspire and encourage them. We teach what we most need to learn and so of course my own sense of inspiration and courage has been tested on the deepest level along the way.

As of a month ago I was still trying to figure out a relationship with someone who thinks I am too sensitive. I finally had to walk away, knowing that being intuitive and sensitive is just who I am. My sensitivity isn't a problem for me fortunately because I couldn't change it if I wanted to. I see it as a gift. I do see how it could be very much a problem for someone who doesn't engage on an emotional level, has a hard time with honesty and reading social cues. I spent a lot of time in that relationship analyzing and trying to fix something that couldn't be fixed. I had that a -ha moment 3 years ago when I had coffee with my friend Mo. She offered up some critical information that has helped me with all of my personal relationships. She was talking about her brother who had a string of failed relationships, a son that he wasn't close to and the inability to feel love and emotions on the level that the rest of us do. She told me he had Asperger's Syndrome. I spent that evening researching it on the internet. I came to the conclusion that it isn't a syndrome at all and in fact we are all just wired a little differently and there are varying degrees of that which would be considered to be on the OCD, ADHD, Asperger's and Autism spectrum. This realization changed my life. I now take notice when someone is uncomfortable in social situations or is just very picky about odd things. With this knowledge it is easier for me not to judge those that are just wired differently and I don't take it personally when they don't recognize me, when they are standoffish or aren't good at reading social cues. In fact, that is when I am most thankful for my overly sensitive nature. I rely on my sensitivity and intuition in social situations and I am courageous enough to allow my vulnerabilities to show and encourage others to do the same. I speak my truth verbally and through my art. I believe that each experience is right on time teaching us the lesson that is important for our self growth.

My life experiences haven't been easy because I do wear my heart on my sleeve but it has lead me to living a life with depth and color. I have sacrificed so much to live in this place. Most recently, a relationship with a man that I loved deeply who just doesn't get me.

Here is to living my life in truth, passion, depth in full color!

The Fajardo Girls Out On Saturday Night

What a fun weekend it has been. My cousin, Kathy is here, visiting from Dallas. I say cousin but Kathy was married to my dear, dear cousin Paul and he passed away so Kathy and I remained cousins. Friday we went to "The Preservation's" CD release at "Waterloo Records" and then to "Antone's" to see them open for "The Gourds."

Saturday we spent the morning watching a chick flick then took a stroll down South Congress, ate at Guerro's, had a cup of coffee at Jo's and then went to dance to the music of Earl Poole Ball's new band at "The Continental Club." He has a killer new band that includes members of Robert Plant's new band.

We then met Kathy's brother John and his girlfriend at "Donn's Depot" to see Danny Britt, Marvin Dykhuis, David Carole and Chris Gage sitting in. What a night! We missed you Christine. I would have to say it has been the best weekend of music I have experienced in a while. Nothin' like a good sing along to "Twist and Shout" on a Saturday night!

Synchronicity

Synchronicity— n
	an apparently meaningful coincidence in time of two or more similar or identical events that are causally unrelated

"Flying Lessons" With Kelly Rae Roberts this week has been fun and informative. No, I'm not learning how to fly a plane, I'm learning how to soar with my art biz. I'm amazed that I had become so well versed in how to connect my musician friends in the online world but clueless as to how to do the same for myself in the artist world. That' a well trained woman for ya. I would insert a LOL here but I am realizing that putting myself on the back burner for a solid 56 years has not served me.
Okay, so timing is everything. I don't think I was ready to soar before now. The synchronicity involved in my decision to sign up for "Flying Lessons" is more than perfect. I read somewhere that when you are on target, synchronicity happens. I have been somewhat focused on my art my whole life, but I sensed that this year was time for me to soar in my art biz. This transformation didn't come without growing pains. My new "Luna Chick Series" evolved from a place of deep healing and that, my friends, is another blog.

Rene's Red Guitar By Christina

Painting by Christian Ethridge

I have been a mixed media artist since the 90s. For four years I had been creating mixed media pieces with the focus on music and vintage nudes. Thank you Rene for sending me in the direction of music. I wanted to go there, I just didn't know how. I have lived in and around the Austin music scene for the better part of 30 years. My friends Rene and Danny had just bought a new house twice the size as the one they had been living in and had to buy all new everything. They needed art. Rene saw a painting of a guitar in a furniture store that she liked but the guitar was brown and she wanted a red guitar to match her lamps. She asked me to paint one as a gift for her husband. I had NEVER painted a large canvas painting, not even in art school. It was scary and fun all at the same time. My son was staying with me at the time so I asked him to join in on the fun, well actually I asked him to draw a large guitar so I could paint it and I came home from work and he had gone off in a whole new direction with the painting. So I bought another canvas and did it myself. Our paintings turned out vastly different but equally wonderful and Rene bought them both for her new house.

Red Guitar Butterfly Blues - SOLD

Shortly after that I started dating, Tony, a Gypsy Jazz guitar player. I started listening to lots of Django" Reinhardt music and as usual, my art seemed to have followed the music. Naturally, I painted and sold lots of guitar paintings, mostly RED guitars.. Because Gypsy Jazz music originated in Paris, France, I became very interested in the art of that time and at the same time was exploring the idea of selling art on ebay and discovered ACEOs. I started creating collage art with vintage nudes and music. I thought this would be a great way to break into selling on the internet without hurting myself. ACEOs would be easy to create and cheap and easy to mail. That was four years ago and I am still selling my ACEOs on ebay and Etsy.

ACEO By Christina

Then after a very rough few months, my artwork took a turn to being a muse to dive deep into some old wounds. I ended up with my Luna Chick Series, paintings that looked much like myself as a teenager but more angelic. I had a  article written about me in a New Mexico newspaper it opened all kinds of doors.  After seeing the paintings on Facebook a friend approached me to create "Angel Greeting Cards." That same day I got a package in the mail from another friend with a Kelly Rae Roberts "Create" angel ornaments and a crystal as a gift. It felt like a message from the Universe saying "Yes! Create Angels!" My friend and I continued to throw ideas around, we painted a few angels then she backed out after realizing there wasn't much money to be made selling cards at local stores but the wheels kept turning in my head, I already had product in stores and online so I continued on track. That very week another friend of mine invited me to hang some of my art in a new flower shop. I went to the flower shop to meet with the owner and she had a Kelly Rae Roberts skins on her Mac. Later that day I went to a gift shop where I have my art and two booths down was a booth full of Kelly Rae Roberts art. The messages on Kelly Rae's art were the same messages I had been painting and she was obviously doing very well financially doing her art.

Luna Chick By Christina

So, long story longer, I am learning from the best and taking notes. The message, dream big and work with a team!