TLDR how I got here, my process and evolution to selling art, a pursuit to evolve as artist and share my voice
Note / this is probably the longest post I’ll write here
As humans we crave stillness, calm, certainty, and yet the nature of life throws us each time into the chaotic, the fear, the uncertain. For me, art creates the portal to finding our calm and humanness as people.
I love art. I always have. I have been a creative being since I was a young child. My parents used to joke that I “sang before I could talk.” And from there I enjoyed every bit of art, music, and expression that I could. Singing in talent shows and choirs, playing clarinet, writing and writing and writing. And yet I never really took to fine art.
Fast forward to March 2020. In such a tumultuous time in the world, I was one of those people who tried to make the best of Covid. Each day I sat in my room, brainstorming ideas of things I could do to pass the time. I began a new journal focused on my personal development goals, my dreams, my greatest wishes. And with it evolved this inner knowing that I have a big purpose in this world, and that is to share my voice. My creative voice in any way that it comes up, and not fearing the outcomes. After all, as a Jewish American Israeli woman, the world has many opinions about what my art means. But I can say whole heartedly that my work then, now, and going forward comes from the emotions and real lived experiences I’ve had. I see my work as a piece of Jewish history, the story of Tel Avivian woman and her quasi-Anthropologist creative lens.
Thus began my journey to explore my inner artist.
After about a month of Covid lockdown, one day I took a day off work to try and find my calm. I took a long walk to Yafo (about 40 mins) along the beautiful sea, searching for a way to come back to myself. It was around that time that I bought a ukulele, began practicing meditation and yoga, and wrote a lot of poetry throughout the week. This became my new routine. Documenting the eerie silence of my once larger-than-life busy street became my favorite past-time.
In 2021, a friend of mine invited me to join her for an art course. There I met my teacher Arina Albo, a prominent artist and teacher in central Israel. Arina introduced me to the world of realistic sketching and watercolor - introducing me to the basics of art, color wheels and shading as well as incredible and varied techniques and mediums.
Over these years my art has continued to improve under Arina’s guidance and I began to take every opportunity to be in my art zone.
It became my greatest place for calm and empowerment.
Following October 7th, I experienced a long period of depression and anxiety, living in this war zone has been unsettling, confusing, and painful in ways I can’t put into words. For me, art became my lifeline.
In December 2023, I was let go from a job, and in some weird way life provided me with this time to pause. In January 2024, I enrolled in a special English cohort to complete a course by Julia Cameron, “The Artist Way”. It was through this course that I really created a new space for myself to grow in my art and try many different kinds of mediums. And so I’ve decided to make lemonade of the lemons in life and begin work on MY projects. The ones that are nearest and dearest to my heart, the love of art and culture in all its forms. Thus Miri Artflow came to being.
I am excited to take this leap, to follow my passions and share it with the world. Each of us has a voice and it should be shared and celebrated.
Thank you for being part of my new direction, and step into my art flow.