Anticipation. Excitement. Anxiety. Doubt. Hope. Growth...

...These are the stew of emotions that float in and around me like smoke tendrils these days. With only 5 months until our departure date, there is still so much to do, and so much of it seems totally out of my hands. This is a difficult sensation for an artist who likes to be the captain of her fate, who likes to paddle her own board. 

Friday I launched my first crowd-funding campaign with Indiegogo. I've been working on creating this campaign since last March, putting it off longer to refine it more and more. Finally I decided to take that leap of faith and click the Go Live button. It's funny, that statement is loaded, isn't it? Isn't that what this is about? To "Live" the life I dream of living? To realize our dreams, and then make new ones. Dreams don't have to be grand; they are simply things we want to achieve. Today I want to make a roasted tomato soup to warm me up on this chilly fall day. Tomorrow I want to start a new painting. And in 5 months I want to say goodbye to my quiet 2-story Lawrencetown home and hello to my rumbling 90-sq foot mobile art studio life...

Daina painting The Cove. October, 2013.

From now until December 15th I'm offering up lots of great stuff, including big discounts on individual and group painting lessons, custom paintings, featured originals, watercolour postcards, and small gifts like my 2014 wall calendars and painted ornaments. This is to raise funds for a year-long trip where I'll be taking my studio on the road to paint, expand my business, and connect with communities. You can help me realize this dream by simply clicking the link to my campaign below and sharing it on social media with your friends and family, or by supporting it by purchasing one of my Perks available, beginning at only $10. Every bit counts. To make a sustainable living as an artist these days means taking creativity to a whole new level.

Many thanks, 
Daina 
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-painted-road-project/x/727662

The Cove. Seaforth, Nova Scotia. 14"x18" original oil painting. Available HERE