Artist: Elisabeth Ladwig
Title: Protection Spell
Medium: Photo Collage on Watercolor Paper
Dimensions: 18"h x 12"w
Limited edition of 28; piece is unframed. Also available framed. Limited editions available in 3 other sizes.
When my husband was hired for his current position, he said to me, “All those years when I was freelancing and you were working full-time at Sony, you had my back. Now let me have yours. Do your art. See what happens.” It was such a gift. It was also an emotional decision. My grandfather, whom I never knew, died unexpectedly while my grandmother was pregnant with her fourth child: my mother. My grandmother had no work experience and the education of a 16-year-old. The takeaway was to always make sure I could provide for myself, by myself. Making art seemed far from the ideal outlet for that, and the thought of relying on someone else was terrifying. But there it was: the opportunity to fully explore my creative potential. Was I really going to shut the door? It was up to me now to make it happen, to embrace this protective circle and use it as a vehicle in which creativity could thrive. Sometimes we need encouragement to try new things, to take risks. We need to identify our cheerleaders and trust the journey. The freedom that results from replacing fear with clarity allows us to move forward with our dreams no matter the outcome. It gives us a sense of weightlessness, encouraging the path to light up before us, one step at a time. You got this.