When I was a kid I had one of those wood burning art kits. It was basically a plug-in wand type thing that had a pointy end you could burn designs into wood with. I thought this was just the COOLEST thing EVER. Forget the fact that I couldn’t draw – I could burn stuff into wood and it looked super cool! This was one of my earliest memories of LOVING something that I was able to create. Years later I would also accumulate a rock tumbler, a bead loom, a pottery wheel, a native american leather sewing set (authentic comb sheath anyone?) and piles of rug hooking kits. All of these things literally formed who I would be as an artist. They showed me from a young age that I could create meaningful things and that the process was both relatively effortless and very fulfilling for me. Sure, maybe the creations were only meaningful to my Mom and me at that time. But still. 
As a highschooler I was fortunate enough to have an excellent art teacher who further fostered my love of art. She encouraged me to try new things and never to give up on an idea. Through her guidance I truly flourished as a young artist. She helped me sell my first piece and more importantly, she gave me confidence that this fire I had inside of me could be more than just a hobby or past time.
Fast forward to today. The need to create is still there. And as time goes on, I am realizing that this extends far beyond photography. In fact, the more time I spend not shooting, the more I realize exactly how much I miss out on other creative avenues. That’s not to say I don’t love photography as much as ever. But in realizing this, I really feel like I need to step back every once in a while and really feed the creative fire inside of me that is always hungry for new ideas and new creative avenues. It might be a lofty idea but some day I’d love to own more than just a photography business. I’d love to put more of my creations out into the world for people to enjoy. Who knows when that’ll happen. For now it’s a secret little dream I’m keeping in my back pocket. It’s a dream that I hope will manifest itself in the same beautiful way my photography business has, when the time feels right.
I came across
this tutorial on Pinterest and immediately became inspired to make it. I knew I wanted to keep a similar design but also knew that A) I wanted a slightly different colour scheme and B) I wanted the message to be more applicable to me. I chose the Bob Marley quote/song title
“Wake Up and Live” because for so many reasons, it’s very applicable to me in my life right now. And since I knew from the get-go that I wanted this art to hang over our bed, I thought it only fitting that it be one of the first things I see in the morning: A reminder that I need to wake up and live my life as fully and wholly as possible. There are no second chances. Life is happening today.
I’m not gonna lie…I was giddy with excitement all the way through this project. Anyone who could have heard me giggling to myself in my basement would think I’d officially lost it. But this is what creating art does to me. And this piece is definitely one of my personal favorites. So much so that I want to change my whole home decor to suit the laid back, surf shop style of this. I think I will.
Lovely!! The busier I get the more I miss my crafty side, I may need to take a break and craft a little more
looks awesome Danielle!
So rad! I always knew you had other talents hidden up your sleeve! ; ) This screams ‘Danielle’ to me. LOVE. IT. LOVE the message. : )