Andrea: Art Making Mother

I am an artist. Being an artist is a state of mind and I am completely comfortable wearing that title. Because I am an artist, I artfully approach all aspects of the way I live. I am a mother, wife, educator, friend, sister, and daughter and each of these things contribute to my whole self and contribute to my total happiness. I believe in having dreams and achieving them without considering limitations. We live in a world of infinite possibilities and I want my children to grow with positivity and love into whatever it is they dream to be.

We can be limited by the titles that we hold if we chose to be held back. When someone looks at me and knows that I am an art teacher, society has already implanted stereotypes in our brains that some of us cannot shake. I know that there are people that think that an educator should look and act a certain way. I've met these people. We are expected to act and carry out certain duties as mother, wife, etc. I've never been one to follow all of the rules, but that doesn't mean I'm not right for the label. I'd simply rather make my own label.

I am a great educator because I love what I do and I believe in what I teach. I will continue to improve throughout my career and throughout my life. Because my heart is in the right place and because my brain can back it up, I aim for greatness on a daily basis. Educator is a title that follows me in and out of the workplace. I love to share ideas, knowledge, and creativity with my children, friends, and strangers.

Greatness as an artist is relative. Attempting to create something new and illustrate the ideas in my head will always be exciting, and my art will always change. I love to make things... I love to make everything. The way I make things today may not be the way I make art tomorrow, but tomorrow is something to look forward to.

It's great to be a woman in 2011. It's great to not be afraid to be a woman. I can do absolutely anything that my male counterparts can do and I can open any door I choose to open. Am I a great woman? In my personal world, I think I'm close... but that doesn't mean I will ever stop growing. I'm proud of who I am, of what I've accomplished, and of my relationships with the people in my life.

Being a mother is an honor and the most important responsibility one can ever take on. I cherish every moment I have with my children (even the difficult ones). I will give my children all of the love and experience I can possibly give. They will have opportunities that I didn't have and they will learn to appreciate their environment and the world around them. Greatness in motherhood is an evolution, and you'll never know if you have achieved it until your children have grown to a point that they can recognize it.

From speaking with and creating art inspired by all of these wonderful women, I have grown tremendously. My hope is that each woman has learned a bit about themselves by contemplating the questions that I presented them with. Clearly, we all have common traits, but each of us is her own unique individual self, and that is a beautiful thing. If you are comfortable and confident within your own skin, the likelihood of being limited by any of your titles decreases.