AVM Hawkins exploring New Orleans art galleries.
“The inspiration to be an artist is not merely to survive on one’s art, but to live the life of an artist — to live a life fueled by inspiration and to seek it in all things. To express freely, across all mediums and creative forms.”
Inspiration can be found in a cup of coffee or in a child’s eyes. It lives in the embrace of a loved one or the experience of live music. Art is everywhere — it lives in everything. The key is to be open to find inspiration and the willingness to receive it. An artist, merely codifies it into physical form.
To be an artist is not only to create, but to live life fully.
Pursuing the things that bring joy, enthusiasm and inspiration, while also expressing love, kindness and compassion for one another fuels art.
Living life fully, experiencing all emotions, good and bad, and deciding to channel these emotions into something creative and productive transmutes energy, however dark or difficult into something pure, truthful and beautiful. It provides us the opportunity to share it communally with one another, exposing our vulnerabilities to realize we are not alone, but are one.
Memoirs are writings and photographs by AVM Hawkins that fuel her creative endeavors.
“ My vision of living a life of an artist is fueled by living in a state of seeing constant inspiration, with a preparedness to express that inspired thought or idea on paper, or in some physical form.
When I see this vision in my mind’s eye, I feel euphoric. I want to jump to my feet and find a journal, a fantastic pen, and live that scene in real time. Reenact being an “artist” in real life.
I am like a child again. I am my original self again. My mind open with wonder and imagination. My body pulsating and radiating pure joy.
I don’t question my desire. I don’t question my feelings. I don’t question my thoughts or my actions. I instantly exude and embody the energy of a creative person, not because I want to prove anything to anyone, nor requiring permission or validation from my peers, but only because it brings my heart joy.
This is what I seek everyday. This is inspiration.
’Memoirs’ is a blog where I seek inspiration and document my reflections as I live and create.”
A few weeks ago, my family went to the unveiling of a new, 30 million dollar park, Hill at Sims, in Sunnyside 5th Ward Houston.
Read More“Hill at Sims, a new 100-acre regional park, is located on the site of a Harris County Flood Control stormwater detention basin along Sims Bayou and Scott Street in southern Harris County.
My dad came in town from New Orleans, and stayed for a few days. My dad’s list of things to do, included: dinner at Pappadeux’s, Frenchy’s Fried Chicken, a visit to Half-Priced Books and Barnes & Nobles.Whenever we are together, a trip to a book store has become our tradition. And Half-Priced Books has quickly become a favorited spot.
Read MoreI came across a quote from Rick that deeply resonated with me:
Art isn’t in the tools, material, equipment you use. It’s in the way you see the world.”
The past few years, I’ve shifted greatly into being more contemplative about art, and open to seeing art, inspiration, in the day-to-day to fuel my creative practice.
I’ve come to realize that the true gift is being an artist, not just the work that goes into it. But also, what one does, outside of the work.
Read MoreThe colors represented each person’s experience dealing with perinatal mental health.
Many of us in the room had shared experiences as well as, completely different experiences. However, together, no matter how heavy or challenging those experiences may have been, there’s power, resilence and beauty when we walk through those challenges together.
Read MoreLast Thursday, as a prelude to Mother’s Day, I had the honor to paint live at Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation’s Luncheon, “Blooming in Her Season: Celebrating Women and the Journey to Holistic Care” at Ouisie’s Table. The event celebrated generations of women connected through motherhood, bringing them together to learn about Houston Methodist’s holistic approach to perinatal mental health care.
Read MoreI had a moment the other day last week.
My energy was off.
So I leaned into it, took the day off, and enjoyed a glass of chardonnay, a cigar, accompanied by my notebook.
Read MoreCopying other artists has been a reoccurring theme in the arts. Artists work so hard to create an original, novel, body of work and our U.S.copyright system values and aims to protect these creations. But this topic of copying is an interesting one and has come up in the book I’m reading, “The Story of Art.”
Read MoreArt and inspiration is everywhere. And I am sure it is not a surprise to anyone that I would find immense inspiration in my son.
But it’s really gift to see how as human beings, it is within our very nature to create things.
Imagination, experimentation and play is our inherent nature.
Read MoreGoing through the process of writing these blogs, they reveal to me just how important my life as a human being directly translates to my life as an artist.
There’s really no separation between my personal life and my life as an artist.
The goal is not to further compartmentalize my life, but to become more whole, more in full alignment with it.
To allow, enter, walk and interact with the world around me, cohesively—truthfully.
Read MoreJust having a few seconds of calm breathing goes such a long way. When I was younger the excitement of busyness made me feel important, like what I was doing was worthwhile. But now I sense my greatest accomplishment are the moments I take, to exhale. To just be.
Read MoreIn an odd, very indirect way, this journal is a reminder of this.
That I can incorporate fun, color, and joy in my day-to-day grind.
And, I can enjoy each step along the way.
Maybe my life, and my daily tasks don’t have to feel like work—like blood sweat and tears but like a rigously rewarding sport I adore, and love getting better at.
Read MoreI envision these, “The Story of Art” blogs to do just that—codify some of the thoughts that come to me, how they apply to me and my practice, and the questions it inspires.
The book begins where art first began, its purpose and utility from our prehistoric days.
Read MoreThe work, as many of my works, serve as a reminder to myself—of who I am and what I am capable of.
I’ve always sensed that it was my inner knowing, my higher self communicating with me, reminding me of how expansive I truly am.
I hope this painting is a reminder that we are more powerful than we think.
And we can not only have our deepest desires, but we can exude it.
Read MoreWith every interaction— every email, note, or post online, I get to design and curate a creative experience.
I get to share my love and joy for art with others.
And that is Everything.
I was reminded of how grateful I am for every moment I am able to create or take time to seek and enjoy inspiration in my day-to-day life.
Read MoreThis experience made me remember another thought I had the day before, while drinking my coffee—dripped coffee with a shot of espresso and brown sugar.
The thought was about my first time living in Spain, and how Spain wasn’t necessarily just a physical location on the planet, but an experience—a mentality—a mantra or philosophy that I desired to apply in all aspects of my day-to-day life.
If only, I could remember…
Read MoreWe has a great time.
However, on Ash Wednesday, I woke up with body aches, and a burning throat and ear lobes.
I went round for round, taking cough, cold, and flu medicine, Advil, Zyrtec, Soup and Hot Tea.
Slept all day Wednesday through Friday, waking up Saturday feeling worst than ever.
So, unfortunately, there was no blog post last week…and basically, none for this Friday, except a sweet explanation. :)
Read MoreWhen I read, I rarely read to complete a book.
I read because I enjoy the thoughts and ideas that the book stimulates.
It could take me years to finish reading a book, solely because I love the process of reading more than the accomplishment of reading the book.
I tend to underline favorited sentences, bracket beloved paragraphs, highlight lines for emphasis, and place hand-written post it notes filled inside the pages, for a joyful anticipated revisitation at a future date.
I can see this being a reoccurring blog post, taking a quote or a pondered perspective and document my thoughts as I dive deeper into the rabbit hole.
There are a million ways a book, a movie, or a conversation could inspire a new perspective or way of seeing that I previously never could have imagined.
Read MoreLast week, I was very proud to donate, Contemporary Teal, an original painting, to GiGi’s Playhouse Gala’s Silent Auction.
GiGi’s Playhouse is a Down syndrome organization with over 61 brick-and-mortar locations across the United States and Mexico.
Everyday GiGi’s Playhouse provides free, life-changing therapeutic, educational, and career training programs for over 30,000 individuals of all ages.
They empower families by maximizing opportunities for daily achievement and lasting acceptance.
I am very happy to donate art to assist with raising funds for this extraordinary organization.
Read MoreThis past week, I experienced that all too familiar feeling of discomfort in my body. I was overwhelmed by so many emotions: despair, sadness, hopelessness, frustration, grief, and uncertainty.
Life is hard in general, but sometimes being too glued to social media can really warp one’s sense of reality.
Luckily, I have developed a knowing, that when I feel like this, I must create.
Read MoreThe beauty of committing to this weekly, writing practice, is that it encourages me to prioritize reading, study and taking time to deep dive into something, or in this case, someone that deeply inspires me—Ghanaian figurative painter, Amoako Boafo.
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