1 ENCOURAGEMENT

As I reflect on my journey of growth and weigh the importance of the factors that have contributed to it, the most significant of them all was the encouragement I received.  My parents encouraged my explorations and allowed me to take some of those explorations to extreme ends.  I believe that their support is directly responsible for the confidence I developed as a person.  The confidence to be who I am has ebbed and flowed as I have grown older.  

It is amazing how a life long pursuit can be traced to one small moment.  The power of that moment has remained an unshakable foundation in my growth as a artist.  As a first grader I had a entry in a student art show.  My mom saw it at the place it was hung.  I had no idea what had happened to my painting.  When I got it back in class and I brought it home, my mom and dad had it framed and hung it in our home.  That picture was hung and rehung as we moved around the country.  

All of the thousands of hours drawing and painting that followed were because of that moment.  At some point there may have been another moment that focused my interest but for me this was it.  There was no single minded focus; my parents allowed my interests to develop and expand into a number of areas.  It was that freedom and the support they provided that was the foundation of my growth regardless of the endeavor.

Mom and Dad with me at Crystal Cove