I’m happy to announce that my website is officially up and running. I’m starting a blog to give updates on works in progress, thoughts on making art, and general comments that include my terrible sense of humor. After years of encouraging my kids to be brave, to make mistakes, and to dream big… I’m finally taking my own advice.
I became a “solopreneuer” because the simple truth is, I am my happiest self when I am painting. It 
took me a long time to accept that it’s ok to do something that might not benefit my family right away. It felt a bit selfish, to be honest. I debated if I should try to find a regular 10-2 job so that I could bring home a paycheck but still be here for the kids. As I sat in my living room thinking, surrounded by my bright orange walls, wearing my pink, purple and green patterned leggings, I thought,
“Who am I kidding?” And Bender Originals was born.
Still, I often split my time between feeling like I’m doing either a crappy job of being a mother, wife and homemaker or being an overwhelmed artist. Theoretically, the hours that my children are at school are my art business hours, and after that is the time for cooking, cleaning, laundry, homework, shopping, appointments, paperwork, home finances, etc… In reality, there’s no way to fit it all in. It’s a struggle every working parent is familiar with. No one escapes the feelings of guilt or time pressure, or wanting to punch the clock in the face. So when I’m up against a choice between filing my quarterly taxes and making it to the supermarket, guess who’s getting eggs for dinner again? And when we’re flying out for a family trip and nobody had time to pack, guess whose business Facebook page isn’t getting updated today?
All these things in our lives that we “should” be doing pile up. We should be eating healthy, avoiding processed foods and cooking from scratch most of the time. We should be exercising, both
cardio and strength, and getting fresh air and vitamin D outside. We should be taking time to talk with our kids and spouses and coworkers and relatives. We should be volunteering with a social cause, or at our kids’ schools, or staying involved in local politics that affect our families. We should be keeping our homes clutter free, not to mention allergen, pesticide, cleaning chemicals, and somehow dirt free. It also couldn’t hurt to find time to meditate, play board games, read a good book, socialize with friends, and of course keep up the romance with a significant other. Oh, and we should look good doing it all.
And this is why I paint.
I love painting. It brings me calm. It makes me a better person, a better wife, mother, and friend.
Art reminds us all of what is real in this world when we stop to take a breath. When we capture our whirlwind of activity in a frozen moment. I love painting when I can show it to someone and recognize on their face that they share my heartbreak or my jubilation. They understand. Somehow all the should’s and supposed to’s melt away for just a bit and we connect with ourselves again. We find our happiest selves.
So I’m happy to announce that I’m painting. I’m writing. I’m filing my taxes. And I’m doing sprints and pushups outside while I talk with my kids and wait for my homemade bread to rise in my just cleaned with vinegar and lemon kitchen.
I hope you’ll connect with me on my new website now because, you know, you really should.