A Paw To Hold…

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animal lover, care, cat art, cat paw, cats, Colorful Art, colorful dog art, colorful dogs, dog, dog art, dog lover, dog paw, dog prints, dogs, healing dogs, healing energy, help, pet, pets, service dogs, sharon cummings, sharon cummings art, support, support dog, therapy dog

Sometimes we all need a hand or a paw to hold.

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A Peace Offering…

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compassion, doves, giving, help, helping hands, love, peace, peaceful living, spiritual art, spirituality, symbols of peace, think love, white dove

The World we “appear” to live in. It is not peaceful, but it is not getting worse. It has always been a violent Earth. People have been killing each other since the beginning of humankind. The big difference is that with the advent of the Internet and cell phones, we are exposed to every horrific thing that happens around the globe. Every thing big or small. We are spared nothing horrific. 1 person beheaded….130 killed by a terrorist. A woman doused in acid. Gay men hung in public. We hear about it all in gruesome detail. 100 years ago, we only knew what happened in our own little village. It seemed more peaceful back then. But it wasn’t. There have been wars and rumors of wars from the beginning. The Crusades…The Holocaust….The Spanish Inquisition….And the list goes on. Many thousands killed regularly. Native Americans wiped out in the name of progress. African American Lynchings. LGBT killings. Our history is riddled with hate crimes and atrocities. And so it continues today. All I can do in my own little world is make a decision to be kinder. To be more tolerant. To be more compassionate. To not allow the news reports to scare me into a frozen emotional state. To live my life the way I desire for others to live theirs. In your daily rush, take a moment each day to pick someone to be extra kind to. Online or in person. Just be nice each day. When that becomes a habit, add more nice gestures. Change truly does begin with us…

Not Everyone Has Happy H.O.L.I.D.A.Y.S…

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angel, angels, blue abstract art, blue art, comfort, comforting art, compassion, god, healing, help, hope, prayer, spirituality

“Never Alone”

Painting Acrylic on Canvas

Sharon Cummings

2003

My “Never Alone” painting has always been one of my most popular pieces. It’s true that blue is a soothing color and many people like it, but I believe that it is the sentiment that draws people in.  As I sell a lot of this image around the Holidays, it makes me pause and say a prayer of gratitude for the life I now have.  I also ask for comfort to those who will not be having a “happy” Holiday season.

I know what it is like to have Christmas marred by pain and suffering.  When I was 10 years old, my father killed himself just a few short days before the magical event.  I can still see the carefully wrapped gifts under the tree as we gathered after the funeral.  I remember thinking that I didn’t want anything ever again for Christmas.  For many years the Holidays were just a painful reminder of what was missing and what would never be.  It wasn’t until I had my own child that the joy was brought back to the Season.  Her zeal and delight in all things festive is infectious.  It was her energy that helped heal me.

So for those that mourn loss or those that are hanging on to the sick, I wish that you feel that you are never alone…Whether you believe in God, angels or just the healing energy of others…

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The One

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http://fineartamerica.com/featured/stand-by-me-palm-tree-art-by-sharon-cummings-sharon-cummings.html

If you are lucky….you have that one person in your life that has stuck with you through thick and thin.  No sin has been so great that it has not been forgiven.  No hardship so horrible that the burden could not be shared.  That special someone has a voice and heart that beckons a phone call at any hour.  A hand that is always at the ready to steady you or just to say “I am here” and “I will stand by you”.  For many it is Mom, but my Mother abandoned me emotionally and physically from a very early age.  My Dad passed when I was 10 and though I have had friends come and go in my life, for the past nearly 12 years, I have had that special someone.  Thank you Bill….my husband….my love….the one who is always by my side….

And we were side by side when this shot was taken….

Got Frenemies?

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art, art business, art marketing, Artist, artwork, competition, enemies, faabest, frenemies, friends, gratitude, help, loving your enemies, making friends, marketing, marketing art, sharon cummings, the art of business, the business of art, work, work satisfaction

 

Frenemies is a funny term, but it is one that often best describes online relationships where two people are direct competitors selling a similar product to the same audience.  I have been creating, marketing and selling my artwork online for over 10 years.  I started on eBay which was a brutal place for a fine artist and from what I hear, it still is.  That’s when it all started….where I learned to distinguish friends, enemies and frenemies.  Unlike many artists, I am a business person first and an artist second.  I have a direct way of communicating online.  I am ALL business which ruffles some feathers greatly.  The insecure, sensitive and overly emotional types can easily get offended by my style of typing.  Regardless of how I have been viewed by others, I have always offered my help.  I have spent many hours chatting, emailing and posting in groups so that emerging creatives can learn what I have had to acquire the hard way.  I share my secrets to success.  I congratulate others when their work is doing well.  I relentlessly encourage those that are still struggling to sell their work.  I do it because I like people and I enjoy seeing others triumph just as much as I enjoy my own rewards in this field.  EVERY sale is a victory for artists because it means that people are buying art.  And it they buy someone else’s work it also means they might buy mine.  I believe a lot of artists would have more “friends” and feel better about themselves if they learned that it is just as much the art of business as it is the business of art.  And if they would realize that the potential for art sales is astronomical….the pie is big enough for ALL of us and that when someone offers you some help….take it with gratitude no matter how it was delivered.  I will continue to help others regardless of the enemies and frenemies I acquire along the way…..because I am grateful that I have had the opportunities and successes that allow me to do so.  

Learn more about my work here:

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-sharon-cummings.html?tab=artworkgalleries