Dear reader,
Today I have been working on the third painting of the series of three. But I have to admit I was not really concentrated, or in the proces. I wanted to continue working on my new website! (You can ask yourself: what is more important: painting or making a website about painting?) But for now: this website feels exciting, but also a bit unsettling. My blog has been on my other (coaching)website simonenijboer.nl for ages. And now it is moving to its own, separate domain. It feels like it is growing, growing into a new stage in life.
Part of that ‘growing up’ means for me also that I am going to be a little bit more outward directed. Not only talking about ‘me, myself and I’ – about my painting, my process. I am not sure how that will take place yet. We will see, and I am open to all sorts of ideas (also from you, my dear reader!)
My dream is that this website will become an inspiring place for everybody who yearns for living a more creative life, who wants to start painting on regular or even daily basis. For everybody who thinks (s)he can’t do it, she is not advanced enough, she should have gone to art school. Who thinks it is too late, or has not the right materials, not the right studio, not the right supportive people around her. Who is afraid she has no time to paint. Or feels painting is such a frivolous thing, not worth pursuing it, since there are so many more important things to do. Etcetera. Fill in the blanks.
One thing that worries me a bit is the state of my English. I know it is not perfect, but I also know that people understand what I mean if they read my writing. So I very much hope that my knowledge of the English language will grow.
Writing in English feels a little bit bad to my Dutch readers! Dutch is such a rich, beautiful language. And I feel like a fish in water when I am writing in it. It feels sad that I can’t use it, and I feel that it is a real handicap.
But: if I want to reach ‘the rest of the world’, I need to get used to that. Art is an international language. If I see the paintings of my fellow painters from the USA, from Spain, from Denmark, from South Africa, from Germany, from Japan (and the list goes on and on) I can feel an immediate, wordless connection to them and to their art. Their being is expressed in a language that goes beyond written language. But of course it is nice to be able to communicate next to that, and English seems to be the best language for that.
Enough writing for today. I hope you will enjoy my new website as I am already doing!
Bye!
Simone
Ps: from today on you can have a subscription
and on my newsletter
Ps 2: I would not be here on this new website without my wonderful friend Dotty Seiter. If you read my blog, you will probably know her from her comments below every post. Thanks, Dotty!!!
Thanks for your words!
I indeed am enjoying this whole process immensely right now! And especially thank you for your supporting words about the English language. And you indeed are right: it is not about the words, it is about what the words point to. Thanks for that, I needed to hear that.
And for the rest: I cannot agree more!
First, your third painting: it is grateful for the touch of your hand in passing : )
Next, your wonderful new website! What a gift that it is tapping your creative energy right now. Enjoy that creative process—it is another kind of painting, and you are making a mark here, adding a color there, and watching it grow and develop in front of your eyes.
Third, trust that your already clear and communicative command of English will only grow stronger. It will. It may feel limited to you, because it is not your native tongue and because you know how much more capably you can express yourself in Dutch, but your audience will be grateful for what is right in front of them: the richness your words hold and the doors your words open.
Fourth, I am so excited to be able to subscribe to your blog. Hooray!
Finally, thank you for your kind words about me—we have been so blessed to have discovered each other across an ocean and to have the enlivening, encouraging, art-to-heart friendship we’ve had since September 2015. As I have told you more than once, I cannot imagine where my art would be without your support, and our inspiring 20-months-long (and ongoing) conversation.