She did well in elementary school, great marks on all her projects, and I marvelled at the fact that she spent as much time on the COVER PAGES as she did on the actual content. As long as she got good marks, we didn't mind how long she spent on the extra stuff.
In high school. she took art and photography, as "easy" electives to compliment the maths and sciences into which we guided her.
She did well at all of it, all of it, and graduated with honours, and scholarships to two universities.
We thought she'd major in English, one of her best subjects, but she really could have chosen anything.
Her summer job, after Grade 12, was to work with a team to paint a Remembrance Day mural for our city.
"What a neat summer job", I thought. "How great that she gets to have a little fun before settling down to her studies in the fall."
Here's her portion of the mural - four soldiers walking along a war-torn street, crosses from Flanders Fields in the background.
She went to university, and became bored. Did well enough at her courses, but wasn't motivated to try hard. She just wasn't interested.
"Maybe you should take a year off", we said.
So she did.
She got a job as a waitress (It's called a SERVER, Mom!), moved from the suburbs to the big city, and met her sweetheart.
Instead of going back to university she applied to Film school; to the Make-up and Specialt Effects department.
"What?", we said.
"Well, I don't want to be a server all my life", she said.
"What about university?", we said.
"I'm not interested in university", she said, and paid the deposit at the Film school.
"What's she going to do with that?", we thought. "I know we live in Hollywood North, but geez, the movie industry is so unstable, and how's she going to make a living, and when's she going to do something serious, and...and..."
She's an adult now, and fully self-supporting, so we really have no say in the matter, and she continues to make her quarterly deposits at the Film school.
About a month ago, my husband and I went to Mexico for two weeks, partly to celebrate my 50th birthday.
When we returned there was a present waiting for me.
It's a view of my favourite camping lake - with a white sandy bottom that makes the water an amazing Caribbean blue........and she's captured it perfectly. She painted it for me. She painted it.
And suddenly, finally, something in my 50-year-old brain clicked.
I get it now.
She's an artist. An artist.
School starts this January, and I wish her ALL the best.
Congratulations, sweetie. I know you'll do well.
I get it now.
13 comments:
Wow, Kathryn, what a talented young lady you have there...beautiful work!!
That painting is amazing! Clearly she has inherited your creative spark
So wonderful when the parent realizes the beauty and unique abilities that their offspring has. It's lovely to see such a great relationship between mother and daughter. She's beautiful AND talented!
That is an amazingly talented daughter you have there! You have every reason to be proud!
Happy New Year, Kathryn! I hope it brings many pleasures.
Having an artist for a daughter myself, I understand the difficulty in accepting the choices they make. But what amazing people they are! And sooo interesting! Melanie is currently doing a lot of cut and pasting in her 9-5 job, but I don't see you staying with it for long.
There you are, just remember back when you were young and finding your way.
She is a young woman who KNOWS what she wants to do and what she's good at.
Glad you got it now.
Indeed she is an artist...! Omigoodness she is talented. TALENTED...!!! I'm so glad you encourage her.
And what a gorgeous girl. Please wish her the best of luck from me.
Thank you all for your kind comments. This is as much about me 'getting it' as it is about her art. Finally cluing in that my children are not clones of me, but complete individuals. Watching them 'unfold' into adults and acknowledging that it's THEIR journey, is amazing, and so much more sane than trying to control everything.
Wise woman. Wise words. Your lovely girl is most definitely an artist, and I didn't realize it either. But since I had never seen the evidence of it I had a BETTER EXCUSE than you did!
Seriously good. Really, seriously good. I didn't know about the mural (or maybe I did long ago 'cause it looked a little bit familiar...??) and it's as astonishingly well-done as the painting. I wish. I wish. I wish I had such talent.
Awwwwww! What a sweet story and what TALENT (yours and hers!)
What an adorable girl! And what a talented artist! Congrats, Mom, on realizing we don't always know the path our children should take. They know it themselves. A lesson we have recently learned, as well.
Oh, Kathryn. I'm catching up and this post, pictures, and comments, too, are so moving; I'm in tears.
Hugs, viv
Thank-you ALL for reading and looking. I've had the painting framed, and it's up on the wall. I've also used it as my latest blog header, as you can see. I can't help it.
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