Thursday, May 6, 2010

Welcome to Art Talk with Kim Klassen!






All Images and Artwork by Kim Klassen, Her Shop ~ Kim Klassen deSigns , Her Blog ~ Kim Klassen Cafe', Blog #2 ~ 2bbb

I AM AN ARTIST, THE UPS AND DOWNS OF IT ALL ~ Written by Kim Klassen

About 13 years ago, I decided to call myself an ARTIST.

And I took great offence when people asked me if I still did crafts. It really bugged me. :)

Slowly people caught on. And when they would ask me what I did, I would say matter of factly,“I am an artist”. At first it felt kind of weird, but now it feels just right.

If we create, and we all should, I think we truly need to claim it, no matter what our art may be!! Perhaps it’s cooking or baking, writing, sewing, or photography. If it’s your passion, it is ART.

Art is pure and wonderful and full of light and darkness and depth.

Since i claimed the title of ARTIST, there have been ups, downs, and plenty of in betweens.

But one thing i know for sure... when i claimed it, life took on a whole new meaning.


It allowed me to declare:

I would get my art published in magazines

I would have a licensing rep and print publisher

I would develop a line of primitive art

I would have my work on giftware and in people’s homes

it allowed my dreams to come true, over and over

And it lead me to this moment, sharing this with you...



Claiming that title was the best gift i could have given myself. It opened up a rather small world into something big and amazing. It allowed me to be more than just a mother and wife. It gave me an identity of my own.

Your dreams do not have to be my dreams. Perhaps your dream would be to paint a mural, take a class, buy a camera, learn to stitch or sew, start writing, or create a blog.

Claiming my artist has lead me on an amazing journey. Has it been perfect? Heck no! That’s where the ups and the downs come in.

We have been way up there, not a care in the world, and we have been way down low. We were sailing along, thinking we had made it...no looking back. All our struggles were over (at least financially). But it kinda all crashed. I’m grateful for the crash. It may be the best thing that has ever happened to me. It lead me to this moment, sharing with you. It lead me to my camera and photography and flickr. It lead me to put my faith back in God....To trust and believe that with Him all things would be okay. You see, if things kept going so perfectly i would not be here. I would still be in my ‘perfect world’. I probably would not have fallen in love with my camera. I would not have started my blog, or the 2bbb blog with my kindred spirit PG, or joined Flickr (my happy place).

As an artist, I have to create. It’s not an option. So between balancing the artist in me, with the reality of life... it can be a challenge.

Oh, the reality of it all. Teenage sons, dirty dishes, laundry, messy house, bills to pay, interruption upon interruption, meals to make, books to keep, stacks of paper, knocks on the door, phone calls, family needs... i could go on. ‘sigh’

There are no dreamy actions that you can order that will turn your life right side up. There are no magic photoshop tools to fix it all. Hey, perhaps that is why i am madly in love with photoshop? Hmmmm... It’s a little like magic. It reminds me of the old sitcom "Bewitched". Gosh I loved when Sam would just wiggle her nose and everything would be just right. ‘sigh’

But if life were that easy, would I be so reflective? If things had continued so smoothly would i be so grateful? No, I don’t think so. But as I move forward and upward, I vow to stay on the ground, if that makes sense. To be smart in the things I must be smart about. To dream the things i must dream about.

Being an artist has taught me to believe...with every morsel of myself... that anything is POSSIBLE. Anything.

And to believe that there is an artist in all of us.

Have you found your artist? Have you claimed the role? Are you scared to claim it? What steps have you taken to claim the title? How has it changed you? What is the hardest part about it, what is the best part about it? I’d love to hear.

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Kim, thankyou so much for sharing your story with us. I wonder if it would work the same way if I start calling myself a PHOTOGRAPHER? I think I'll give it a try. ;)

Thankyou for all your well-wishes and prayers yesterday everyone. They mean alot!

Please drop by tomorrow to view the work of 3 new artists...and remember to leave comments to enter your name in a GIVEAWAY from Lynda Naranjo! xo

29 comments:

  1. I went through a similar thing and felt embarrassed about calling myself an artist (now I can't remember why), I took the plunge and got myself some business cards with name and artist underneath and have proudly announced it to the world since, and like Kim its not always been perfect but so many amazing things have happened to me since that day, that I would recommend anyone feeling doubts about using that word to describe themselves to just go for it. Claire

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  2. So inspiring! Thank you for sharing with us, Kim!

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  3. Truely inspiring!! I can relate alot to this article. Keep up the great work Kim!!!

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  4. I did go through the same thing and only lately have a mustered up the boldness to call my self an artist ~ photographer. I used to just say " well i take pictures, hang my head and change the subject". I really appreciate this article. Because I think Kim is a wonderful artist and this writing will help others declare "I am an artist".
    Linda

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  5. Kim! I am bookmarking your words because you have written in such a beautiful way exactly what I want to say

    "You see, if things kept going so perfectly i would not be here. I would still be in my ‘perfect world’. I probably would not have fallen in love with my camera. I would not have started my blog, or the 2bbb blog with my kindred spirit PG, or joined Flickr (my happy place)."

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  6. Love you Kim - HATE the word Crafts too!

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  7. i am speechless and have tears ...

    thank you SO much vicki for featuring this wonderful artist, kim klassen
    who i am so proud to have as a friend and who continuously inspires
    and often quietly 'blows me away' her determination and desire ...

    kim, your words are powerful and come straight from that fire that burns deep within you to create ... to be who you are ... to be an artist ...

    i doubt if i would be finding my way back to the art i love, if it wasn't for your friendship, inspiration, support and encouragement ... and i know there are many in this community who are equally grateful for you and your artistry ... :)

    and vicki! love your tunes ... just chillin out here ... :)

    2bbb, prairiegirl xo

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  8. vicki ..such a beautiful feature of a magical lady!!

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  9. Thanks so much for featuring this wonderful lady. I have been an admirer from the first book before the blog and all the wonderful exciting new adventure into photography!

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  10. You have written the words that I have had locked in my head because I thought I was the only one who thought like this, you are very inspirational and I thank you !

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  11. Gorgeous words, Kim!!! I LOVE your work a lot, you are a very talentes ARTIST!!! :D
    Thanks for being my contact in Flickr!!

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  12. Jeez, This is also bringing tears to my eyes as I read this. You already know how I feel about you Kim & your work. It always thrills me when people I admire get the recognition they so deserve:)

    Xo, Linda

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  13. such beautiful words!!!!!!! I am so proud of you!!!! thanks so much for sharing....

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  14. That was wonderful, I am right there with you Kim! It is hard to balance being an artist with all the other details of life. But it can be done. And you are doing it. And you are an artist, in every sense of the word...
    I struggle with all the same things, every day. One step at a time...

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  15. Interesting discussion. The part about dealing with real life at the same time as art is particularly intriguing. Sometimes all of the beautiful images all around the blogosphere seem like an escape from mundane (or worse) reality, so it's good to be reminded that those who create such images are also dealing with less-than-perfect reality.

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  16. Wow, I'm loving reading your comments everyone. Thankyou for your input. :) I like what you said, Dottie. I think as photographers/artists we often seek out beauty...sometimes because life is "less-than-perfect." Good thoughts. :)

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  17. such beautiful pictures and words!!

    just passing by your blog and i have to say i LOVE it! pls drop by mine too www.onestylemile.blogspot.com when you have some time =)

    xo. Persis.

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  18. What a great interview!

    Also, I totally want some brownies now.

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  19. Beautiful and inspiring, as I have said before. Several years ago I was searching for some "inspiration" and somehow stumbled onto Kim's patterns. Her work was just what I was looking for and I've loved it ever since. Kim you are such an inspiration in so many ways, even though I've never met you face to face it feels as if I do know you personally. Thanks for all that you do to help us feel creative. The photography has been a bright spot in my life. Thanks to you for the instruction and to my sons for the camera. God bless you.

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  20. Vicki
    thank you so much for inviting me here to share.

    i am overwhelmed, once again, by the kindness of so many.

    and i love the way, as creatives, we are all soo connected...

    this has been FABULOUS....


    xxo, kim

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  21. Kim, this was just the inspiration I needed today! thanks so very much for sharing your wonderful journey! You know I am in love with your art; and in my eyes, I have ALWAYS seen you as an artist!

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  22. Kim, thank you for sharing your heart with us. I still have trouble referring to myself as a "photographer" or "artist" ... you are amazing.

    xo,
    Lynda

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  23. what a beautiful article. i adore kim, and am proud to call her friend. she has taught me some of the most beautiful things, along the way, in this sweet art world.
    xoxo

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  24. I've always thought of myself as an artist and it didn't bother me what labels people gave. I'm sorry, I don't get why we should hate it if people said we do crafts! I think I'll research on this! I'm interested why it evokes such strong feelings. Maybe coming from a background where my whole family are artists from when we were young, there wasn't a stigma attached to the word "crafts". Or maybe in the Philippines, it's not so important! Patsy from
    HeARTworks

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  25. Thank you for this! It takes great courage to own being an artist.

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  26. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and inspiration. I am finding my own inner artist, a part of me I didn't even know existed. it is scary and exciting at the same time.

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  27. It was lovely to read your thoughts about this; my own experience is very closely related, but a little left of centre as far as art goes. I'm a ballroom dancer (competitively, but it will never be my full-time thing), and am worn out to pieces with people saying how great it is that I have a "hobby" and how good for us it must be for me and my partner (who is also my dance partner) to "do something fun together". I completely relate to your sentiments on other people just not quite getting it!

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  28. So much passion....its awesome....so moved.

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  29. What fabulous words. Music to every artist's ears. I sent this to several of my friends.

    Karen

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Thanks so much for your comments. Your thoughts, opinions, and ideas are important to me!

~ Vicki