Tomatoes on a table

Acrylic on paper

13.5cm x 21.5cm

Date painted: 2008

copyright Nkolika Anyabolu (MD)

For Sale

Still trying to get a hang on this new adventure of mine called “Blogging“. So many things to learn and to do all at the same time. I don’t know why everything in life has to entail a lot of hard work.

When I was setting up my art website from scratch…….I was excited when I discovered I didn’t need to pay anyone to do it for me since I could do it myself. The excitement soon wore off when I discovered it involved a lot of work. And getting used to all those web designing jargon (like html, cms, tags, css, wysiwyg) was not an easy feat at all. Then when I finally got it off the ground after weeks of sweating and frustration; I realized there was even more work ahead…………..getting it out there for everyone to see and getting people to visit.

At the end of the day I ask myself; is it really worth the while doing things by oneself or is it better paying someone else to do it? But yet again I can’t deny that there’s always a tremendous feeling of fulfillment that goes with learning things from scratch and challenging oneself. I think for me that is more important than saving the money that could have been used to pay someone else to do it (not that saving money is not important!!!). There’s nothing like looking at what you did with your hands and knowing that you did it YOURSELF…..no matter how it turned out.

When I tell people about my website I always feel a sense of pride when they tell me they liked it. I find it hard holding back the urge to tell them that I did it from scratch (of course with a free template)…………it somehow means more to me that they know that I did it myself. Is it being arrogant?

Each new challenge I willingly take up reminds me of other previous challenges which I took up and came out feeling accomplished. As the years go by the previous challenges seem little compared to what may be facing me now…….but are we not all quick to forget that back then the challenge seemed insurmountable as at now.

The greatest challenge I have ever taken up (and which I still battle with) is PAINTING. I remember those days in high school; it was never easy sitting in a class filled with only boys (whom we were made to believe as children…………were the only born artists!!!). But lo and behold I came out as the best fine art student. My fine art teacher used to call me a “photographer with a pencil”. All it took was hard work and confidence.

Then came University days, making out time to pursue my dreams on canvas even when I had tons of medical books to go through was something whenever I am asked how I did it…I am never able to answer. The secret I can say was just taking things easy. I painted when I could and when I couldn’t I wouldn’t force it. The most important thing was that the dream to be a good painter was there and I knew it was not going to go anywhere.

Today, as I go through other artists’ blogs I feel the same palpitations I used to feel in school during the fine art classes. It’s a feeling I know all too well. Whenever I make my way from one blog to the other; I am always struck by the beauty of their art and what they have achieved.

Though I am still a youngster in a lot of ways I can’t help but feel I still have a lot of grounds to cover and a lot more challenges to face. Someone might say that’s being greedy especially when you consider the fact that I’ve achieved what many of my peers haven’t (see my resume). But there are many of my peers who have achieved a lot more…….so either way you choose to look at it; there should never be an end to one’s hunger to reach further and higher than he/she has reached before. After all, is that not why we are here?

As we all face our own individual challenges may we continue to dream more and aim higher. And most importantly enjoy yourself every step of the way. Slowly but surely I will learn to blog better.

I am currently offering the painting above for free at the facebook marketplace .

Creativity takes courage.

Henri Matisse

Tags: Acrylic on paper, blogging, challenges, facebook marketplace, painting