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The other day while reading a post on Facebook, I noticed a post for “Eighteen Hands, a Community for Plus Sized Equestrians!” After thinking about this organization for a minute, it dawned on me that many of our young people are over weight.  The struggle to stand tall, and not be intimidated by others can be a real challenge!  It takes a great deal of courage to be proud of who you are, not to bend to trends, or be a leader, not a follower. Granted we  can’t all be leaders at the same time. There is a verse in a country western song that goes like this, “Sometimes we lead, and sometimes we follow!” This is true of many things we do, but a particular challenge for younger people. As we get older, or in my case, really older, there comes a time when you finally say, I don’t care what people think, I’m owning it!”

The quote on this FB post was this, “Courage is being scared to death, and saddling up anyway!” John Wayne said this, and truer words were never spoken! Whether you are talking about riding a horse, painting, playing guitar in front of a hundred people, this still rings true.  It applies to life, but how long does it take to learn this, or if we have learned it, how long does it take to be able to live it?  We all need the support of our peers, whether we are fluffy, skinny, short, or tall. Regardless of what color we are on the outside,we are all the same on the inside, our fears can get in our way and stunt our emotional growth. Bullying is a perfect example. I would bet the kids, and adults alike that bully others are very insecure, or they would have much more compassion for others, and better things to do with their time. It doesn’t take much to intimidate someone, even without realizing it!

How does this play out in our art?  Do you feel as  I sometimes feel, intimidated while looking at artwork by other artists? Or even sometimes in the company of others? It’s easy to feel that way, but a friend of mine told me years ago, “Never judge your art by the art of others!” I have always tried to live by that, but it creeps in when I least expect it. We all have our own way of expressing ourselves, and we are all different, how can we compare one artist to another?  Remembering those things at the right time is the trick. Maybe if we are more gentle with ourselves, and more compassionate with others it would help, and maybe along the way we could take a young artist under our wings, and nurture their passion! If we all set an example by ” Standing tall and owning who we are,” we could be part of building a stronger, more self-assured, and more creative younger generation. It would be really great to see young people who have the courage to be themselves, and be proud of who they are.  What great fun it would be to influence a younger generation, and see blossoming artists in the process!

“Sometimes you lead, and sometimes you follow!”