06 Thursday Jan 2022
Posted in Art, Beach, birds, Gift Ideas, Love, Spirituality
Tags
abstract art, beach, bird, bird art, bird prints, bird watching, birds, birds of a feather, Colorful Art, colorful birds, colorful mandala, garden, garden art, garden prints, gardening, inspirational art, mandala, mandala art, mandalas, self esteem, self improvement, self love, sharon cummings art, tropical birds
22 Thursday Jul 2021
Posted in Art, Spirituality
Tags
#women, empowerment, healing, healing art, healing energy, healing the inner child, inner healing, self esteem, self help, self improvement, self love, self reflection, sharon cummings, sharon cummings art, spiritual, spiritual art, spirituality, women's issues
The secret to life is to love yourself. It sounds so simple. It is and it isn’t.
11 Saturday Jul 2020
Posted in Art, Gift Ideas, Spirituality
Tags
abstract art, inner peace, inspiration, inspirational, inspirational art, inspirational quotes, Maya Angelou, self esteem, self improvement, self love
I’ve combined a striking abstract art painting with the powerful words of Maya Angelou. Keep on shinin’…
26 Sunday Jan 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
appreciation, art, art career, artists, artwork, earning a living, hard work, job, making a living, never whore yourself, painting, photography, respect, self appreciation, self esteem, self respect, sharon cummings, value, whore, work
It sounds crude. However, to this day I can still hear one of my favorite college professors saying “Never whore yourself.” He was an art teacher who had paid his dues in art shows and endless submissions. He had worked it for many years and learned the hard way that self esteem and satisfaction to an artist comes not only from creating but also from being compensated for the effort. That’s right, creating paintings, photographs, sculpture, etc. is often challenging and difficult!
When someone buys a painting from a self representing artist, they are not just buying a product produced on a machine. Years of practice and failures have gone into that one success. College loans have been paid off (or not yet). Supply costs that continue to skyrocket have gone into it. My favorite paint is 50.00 per ounce! We use electricity, water and other resources. We think up ideas….we buy stuff…A LOT of stuff….we sweat! For me painting is very physical! So much so that often the next day I am sore as if I had done a new workout. And there is the photography, marketing, packaging and customer relations that also go into the work.
As crude as Dr. Mike was, his words could not ring more true. You cannot possibly expect others to value what you do unless you value yourself first. It’s o.k. to have sales and offer friends discounts. As long as it feels good in your soul. If you can sleep at night knowing that you have been compensated for a job well done, you are on the right track. If you lay awake belittling yourself for practically “giving” your art away, you need to rethink your strategy. Never whore yourself!
With that said…today I have a few pieces on sale….they are cheap, but they ain’t free. 😉
http://fineartamerica.com/weeklypromotion.html?promotionid=136238
http://fineartamerica.com/weeklypromotion.html?promotionid=135106
http://fineartamerica.com/weeklypromotion.html?promotionid=135009
04 Sunday Aug 2013
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
art, Artist, creativity, friends, friendship, internet., online, online persona, people, photographs, photography, photos, portraits, self esteem, self image, self portrait, self portraits, sharon cummings
This is how the Internet World sees me.
This is how my friends see me.
And this is how I see myself.
Isn’t it always weird to hear your own voice on an answering machine? We have a certain idea of how we sound and how we look. I have had an Internet presence for many years, but started using my “flower” shot at the very top about 5 years ago. It is how everyone online pictures me. I have had people tell me it was cute, pretty and some have said erotic. To me it is just an artsy picture to use for my business. My friends would say I am fun loving with a big smile, full of laughter and open. I am often told “I feel so comfortable with you”. I am glad that my friends feel that way with me. To me the middle photo looks “comfortable”. The last picture is a self portrait taken about a year ago. Of all of the pictures I am in and that I have ever seen of myself, it reflects how I see the real “me”…..an adult with a kid’s heart…..can you see the mischievousness? 😉
And this below is probably how I really look….LOL
How do you see yourself? Go through your photos and do as I have done…..it’s a pretty revealing exercise.
Abstract Art by Sharon Cummings 