There are two things i wanted to share with you all today and I decided to share it because this is not only a fashion blog but it is a blog about inspiration and creativity so i found this topic to be quite blogworthy!
For my Fashion Illustration class the discussion post was one asking what major disadvantage in life did we experience that we turned into an advantage. Many students told their heartfelt stories and they truly brought tears to my eyes and they spoke of how it was this particular experience or occurrence that opened their eyes to their dreams.
One student in particular said:
"Life is fabulous, beautiful and full of love. I am grateful. I do not think that my experiences are anywhere near the hardships that many people go through. I do think that whatever the adversity, it is important to find the strength and determination within ourselves to continue in the journey and be the best we can be".
I could not agree with her more. We are all experiencing our own trials and tribulations because life can be tough but remember, as tough as it is, it is beautiful.
We then went on to discuss Hendrik Goltzius (1558 - 1617), who was the leading Dutch engraver of the early Baroque period. Goltzius is known for his amazing paintings but what is so interesting and inspiring about him was that right hand was actually malformed from a fire when he was a baby; that was his disadvantage. But this malformation made his right hand perfectly suited for holding the burin and he was thus forced to draw using the muscles of his arm and shoulder which perfected the strokes of the lines. Goltzius used his disadvantage to his advantage and became one of the greatest engravers and painters of all time.
We were then given an assignment to study one of his paintings and then draw and paint it ourselves. This assignment scared me because I never considered myself as one that could draw or paint, in fact i never ever bothered to pick up a pencil and sketch pad because i just figured i was not one of the talented ones that could draw. Well i completely surprised myself.
Below is the painting of "Daphne" by Hendrik Goltzius:
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And to my surprise, here is my painted sketch of Goltzius's "Daphne":
And to my surprise, here is my painted sketch of Goltzius's "Daphne":
It is not perfect but it isn't bad for someone who all their life sat back and never drew because they thought they couldn't; furthermore, i must say i found the experience truly relaxing.
The purpose of this extended blog post is to remind you all that sometimes what we view in life as a major disadvantage could actually be a major advantage in disguise. Also, what i realized with this assignment is that we may be surprised of what we can accomplish in life if we stop saying "we can't".
Till next time
xoxox
