Art brings me joy. I wouldn't be an artist if it didn't. But like everybody else in the world, I have a life outside of my art. I won't bore anybody with many of the details here, but sometimes life gets busy, and it becomes difficult to juggle life and art. 

I think the hardest part about being an artist isn't the skill required to draw. That's sometime that comes with time, patience, and practice. The hardest part for me is finding a way to push past the things life throws at me and continue drawing, even when the drawings stubbornly refuse to let me finish them.

When I looked out my window last fall and saw the giant sunflower my family and I had planted wilted over and covered in fresh frost, I knew I wanted to draw it. It was so warm and so cold, the details so fresh. 

I'm always looking for ways to challenge myself as an artist, and I've known for years that my greatest weakness is my attention span. I struggle to take the time to really nail the picture. I find myself rushing at the end of a piece because I'm so excited and anxious to finish it. When I took this reference I knew I found one to teach me that lesson in patience.