MOXIE

So here it begins, my first foray in to the world of the arts.

It all started back in March when the little office area in my house had become overwhelmed with old, blank white canvases and a dusty easel. 

It definitely showed my lack of motivation and inspiration that had taken hold since my adult life took over. Painting is a hobby for me, much like going to concerts or running 5ks. It wasn't ever supposed to be public, much less interesting to anyone but me and my family and some close friends.  But then... one fine day, as they say... my boyfriend (live-in life partner) walked me through the office, arms open and claimed, much like when Simba's father showed him all of the Sahara Kingdom, "Everything the light touches is yours... and it's dirty and you should probably start using it again." He was so right. But at that point, I didn't know what to do.
I live in this amazing little town on the Coast and it has such a strong artistic backing. I've heard it constantly said by my Southern family about how important the arts are to Ocean Springs, but not until very recently did I realize that EVERYONE here is in some way connected to the arts, whether they paint, own a gallery, work for a museum, or are just generally interested or collect. So with that being said, I was sitting in my office, talking to a friend when she said, "You know, Sarrah does small art shows. You should talk to her." And so I did.
Sarrah owns her own salon downtown and hosts small gallery showings in her salon, done completely for the artist she features. She's had awesome turn-outs and has been doing this for a long time, in other parts of the South as well. She also happens to be an amazing hairdresser, so I also get my hair done by her. She told me I would make a good candidate for her Christmas showing and it also involved other artists as well. She let me be responsible for choosing the person I would like to work with for the show and I immediately knew who I wanted to ask: a recent acquaintance-turned-friend, Mallisa of Mallisa May Photography. She is a fabulous photographer who I knew would come up with some great ideas for our show.
I met up with Mallisa on a rainy Thursday for brunch and all we needed was a little cold-brew and some conversation about the show. What bands, what food to prepare for the reception, et cetera et cetera. I showed her some paintings I had been working on, looking in to a whole theme for my presentation and that is when things began to snow-ball. She agreed with the idea of working on a theme (it just makes things easier and way more fun). After countless paper-napkin sketches and inspiration from one another, we decided on a poster concept and a title...

And so MOXIE was born. A collaborative effort for two self-taught artists to begin their separate journeys in to the world of the arts. On November 20th she and I will feature our creative abilities in the form of Mallisa's photography and my paintings and drawings to the world of art here in OS. Stay tuned for anecdotal evidence of our workmanship and creativeness. Thanks for the support!