I Took a Chance on Myself, and it Paid Off.

 

In Early 2021, I was having a serious debate with myself about entering an International juried art exhibition with Art2Life founded by Nicholas Wilton. I had just completed my second year of the art2Life artist mentoring program, and I was feeling hesitant about going up against what would be likely thousands of entries. I considered not entering the competition because it had certainly been a long while since I had done any juried shows. In fact, I had been creating a lot of art but in an isolated way for quite some time. Joining the Art2Life community had likely reminded me how important it is to feel connected to other artists. In 2020, it was a total surprise to me that our three-month group ended up being right in the middle of a covid quarantine. I am sure I am not the only one who felt like that three-month program with live zoom classes was like an unexpected life raft.  Not only full of artistic learning and growth, but also a wonderful place for human connection and support. I had let my other memberships lapse from the artist groups I belonged to in Ottawa, and I had not entered a juried show in over ten years. Feeling that I had done the best that I could do right in that very moment. I decided to take a chance and enter the 2021, Art2 Life juried international show. My leap of faith paid off. To my surprise a couple of months later I was contacted by Artist Nicholas Wilton’s team with the good news. I had won Third Place honorable mention. There were six winners in total and the jurors had to choose from out of 4500 paintings. I was completely thrilled to be chosen among such talented artists. As an artist it is easy to get caught up in the critique phase of creating art, because part of what makes a good artist is always striving for the next best painting. I have since learned that there is also a right here and now to be so grateful and proud of. I now regularly enter juried shows when they come my way. It is now a priority for me to stay connected with other artists and consider new opportunities.

The winning painting, Tranquility 6, 30"x15" inches diptych, acrylic and mixed media on canvas. 

www.sherylsiddiqui.com