Starving Artist

Creative people have heard the cliché. The truth is, being an artist of any kind makes earning a living wage difficult, hence the whole…starving thing.

But what I think we forget is that young artists are sometimes starving for other things like encouragement…response…hope… We love art in all its shapes and sizes and for all the ways it enriches our lives. I wonder, though, if all the artists I loved and admired had felt so discouraged that they gave up, how much would be missing from my life?

I’m one of those people who is fortunate enough to be surrounded by creative, hard-working people all the time. I think I take that for granted. So in the spirit of loving artistry and craft and creativity, I’m starting something new called Starving Artist. It’s a bi-monthly post featuring a new, young artist and their work. It could be in any creative field…music, dance, performance, film, visual art, writing, design, craft…

To kick things off, I’d like to recommend Emily Jeziorski’s historical romance…

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Mack & Moira

When Mackenzie Cruz makes an unbelievable discovery in the turn-of-the-century New York home she’s just purchased, she is plunged into a world long gone, a world of swishing skirts and fast-talking working men and boarding school secrets and a love story that was never supposed to happen…

Moira stood, rooted in place for one long moment before she caught Jack’s lips curving up into another grin. She smacked him across the face; her hand stinging as it made contact with his cheek.

“Oy!” Jack cried, rubbing his face. “What the hell is dat for?”

“How dare you!” she exclaimed, feeling the blush rise up her neck. “Of all of the rude, uncouth…”

It was Maxine’s turn to intervene as the carriage pulled up. “It’s been a gas, fellas,” she said grabbing Moira’s hand and giving a swift tug, “but as we were saying, it’s time to call it a night. Long ride back to…” she looked at Samantha and Caroline who shrugged, unable to supply another borough’s name, “wherever we’re going.”

It’s exciting, sweeping, and really, really funny…and you can follow the whole story by visiting Emily’s website here. I couldn’t stop reading and I think you’ll love it, too…If you do, be sure to email her or leave a comment of encouragement/reaction for her here! This is a great chance to watch an amazing novel from its beginnings…

Photo credit

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Would you like to be a featured Starving Artist?

Are you a songwriter? A poet? A graphic novel illustrator? A fashion designer? A filmmaker? A photographer? Are you an Etsy artisan? The list goes on and on…

If you’d like to be featured here, please send me an email at loveisadventure@gmail.com. I’d love to post your video or painting or poetry or a sample of any other kind of media you might like to share. Maybe this is an opportunity for some exposure or a chance to meet a potential new audience or just get some encouragement/love from other creative people!

Because really…aren’t we all starving for something just a little, wanting someone to love what we create, what we put our hearts into?

Wishing you a creative Wednesday…

love, elizabeth

Celebrate Everything

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1. My brand new sun lamp (post to follow). What up, Seasonal Affective?

2. Holding an actual second folio of William Shakespeare in my hands (published circa 1632). Magic.

3. Getting a haircut. My bangs are thanking me.

4. Losing 4.6 pounds this week! I do not even know how that happened but I almost cried when I saw the scale at Weight Watchers.

5. Kyle. I came home from school tonight to a spotless house and two baskets of clean, folded laundry. All of which he did today on his one day off this week. It was such a selfless act of service on his part and I was so humbled by his thoughtful gift to me. I want so badly to be the kind of woman he deserves but on days like today, I feel like I fall so short. And he loves me, anyway. Wow.

6. A really encouraging meeting with my faculty advisor. I have been feeling nervous about my candidacy exam in the fall but now I’m just so excited to start reading officially!

It was a week to celebrate and I’m so thankful.

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What about you? What are you celebrating this week?

love, elizabeth

Parting the Sea

I had a discouraging morning. Without boring you with the details, let’s just say I made some discoveries during a graduate school event that have reminded me of exactly HOW slim the chances of employment are for someone with a PhD in theatre. It’s actually really, really frightening. I’ve spent the last couple of hours mourning. Mourning my decision years and years ago to major in theatre and not something else, to pursue not one but THREE degrees in this field, to move across the country away from my family and friends and put myself through academic hell for this seemingly useless piece of paper. It’s a dark place, you guys.

I’ve always said that every time I’ve asked for a clear sign, God has opened the door, led me farther down this path. I said, “God, if I’m supposed to go to graduate school, please let me be accepted to the one school I really want to attend.” And then I was accepted. I said, “God, if I’m supposed to go to graduate school, please let me have funding.” And I got funding. I said, “God, if I’m supposed to get my PhD, please let me get accepted into the ONE program I applied for.” I got in. Every step, every time.

And this morning, I had a moment of anger and bewilderment. I found myself crying out to God, “Why did you bring me here to Columbus to this program? Why did you get me halfway to my doctorate only to let me discover it’s almost POINTLESS to keep going? Why didn’t you just let me major in nursing??”

And then I was struck, full-force, by a passage in the book of Exodus in the Bible. God has led Moses and the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt (uh, let’s be clear that I am in no way comparing my academic career to actual human slavery). He’s taking them to the Promised Land. God has delivered them from their captors, from their suffering. He has sent plague after plague upon their oppressors. He has delivered them at every. turn. He is actively working to fulfill their dream of freedom and hope and a new life. And then…the Pharaoh of Egypt sends his army after them, to chase them down where they are trapped against the shore of the Red Sea. And so naturally…

"The people began to panic, and they cried out to the Lord for help. […] ‘Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? Why did you make us leave?’” (Exodus 14:10b-11, NLV).

And then…God parts. the. sea. WOW.

It’s like He says to us, “No way forward, huh? I’ll make one. If you would just trust me, Israelites. If you would just trust me, Elizabeth…Trust me and I will part the sea for you.”

 

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This morning I am so humbled by this. I have absolutely ZERO idea what the future holds. Will I finish my PhD? Will I get a tenure-track faculty position at a well-respected university? Will I do something else entirely? I don’t know.

But today, I am asking God to part the sea for me, not so that I can have the most lucrative or high-paying or well-respected job or even so that I can have a steady, stable income and career. Not even that. I am asking God to part the sea and lead me down the path to His dream for me. God, you don’t have to fulfill my dreams. But please, God, fulfill yours through me. Part the sea. And I will cross it.

What about you? What sea are you hoping to cross in your life? I hope today you are ENCOURAGED by the knowledge that God has dreams for you.

love, elizabeth

PS: Stay tuned…a Valentine’s Day giveaway is on the horizon…

Today, please remember…

Your heart is a place of both incredible strength and unbelievable vulnerability. Remember to treat it kindly.

If the day goes horribly awry, if nothing turns out as it should, if you make a mistake, consider the things that truly last forever…and the rest will fade away.

You are capable of great things. But the small things matter, too. So  if all you accomplish today is to make someone smile, then your time was well-spent.

You are beloved. You matter.

I needed to remind myself of this today…how about you?

love, elizabeth