This is My Story.

I have loved creating ever since I could hold a brush, and if I’m being honest, before that. I was probably in utero thinking of color pallets and music. I can recall painting with my grandma. We would paint with those small washable tubs of Crayola paint. She nurtured my love for art because she loved creating too, she saw me. We would paint for hours and hours. I can’t remember all the details, as I was only like three years old, but when I look back I see that as the beginning of my art career.

In first grade, I took piano lessons. I loved it, but of course, like any other six-year-old, I quit and only did one year of lessons. I wish I had stuck with that. Thankfully I plan on picking it back up. I do play instruments though. That comes later in my journey.

The next step in my creative journey would be 5th grade. My teacher ( Mrs.B ) would have us write stories a lot. At the time, I loved writing and I still do. It’s another thing I wish I stuck with. I mean, I still write, but it’s something I’m working on doing more of. She was another person who nurtured my creative side. I can remember writing stories and sharing them with my closest friends in class. We would go to the front of the room and share our stories and everyone genuinely listened and loved it. 

That same year in music class we were taught acoustic guitar. I would have been around eleven or twelve. We also would write songs. I loved music class a little extra that year. Everyone complained about having to learn guitar, and I’m sure I did too. However looking back, that was the start of my true love for music. Everyone would throw their picks in the hole of the guitar and complain about them always going in, to get out of having to play. Kids are so weird. 

Also that same year, my then-best friend took to drawing. I saw that and said, “Sure, why not?” That's what I like to call my “Art Renaissance’’. We would spend all class drawing and sketching. We would get in trouble for drawing on desks or during class. We’d hang out after school at the closest art store, buying supplies we didn't need. 

As any baby artist does, I started watching “how to” videos on YouTube. I would draw little cartoons as best as I could. I would begin to trace artwork to learn forms and shapes. Meanwhile, in art class at school, I would be introduced to painting and shading with graphite. During this time me and my best friend got heavy into 80s music. We would come into school early to start our day off right… with Queen and Daryl Hall & Oates of course.

One day, I was in my aunt's closet looking for something, I ended up finding an old charcoal set in the back of the closet. It probably hadn't been touched in 20 years. I would begin to do charcoal drawings all the time. During this time I experimented with colored pencils, oil pastels, alcohol markers, and acrylic paint, all the way to batiking (google it). Long story short, I had a whole new world opened up to me. While other kids were doing sports and hanging out at the mall, I was at home. In my room drawing. I brought my sketchbook everywhere. You couldn't tell me anything.

In 2019, my freshman year in high school, my brother got me a ukulele I named “Cleopatra” for Christmas. I had been wanting it for a while, so needless to say I was hyped. I painted on it of course. I would painstakingly begin to teach myself the ukulele. Looking back, it wasn’t so hard, but your first instrument can be hard sometimes. The hardest part is dedication and being able to stay on top of learning. I played my ukulele until April of  2020. After four months of learning, I could play chords and play along to a lot of songs. During this time, I was getting into bands like Led Zeppelin and Metallica. It was time to level up. I needed an electric guitar. It HAD to be electric. I ended up convincing my mom to get me a blue, strat body, electric guitar. I named it “Apollo”, after the god of music. I SUCKED, but hey, it's all a part of learning. Bless my mother for listening to that absolute garbage for months. 

I was still always painting and drawing. Along with playing and learning guitar. I would keep doing that until Christmas of 2020. Being a Led Zeppelin fan my dream guitar was a Cherry Burst Les Paul. I ended up being gifted my dream guitar that year. That boosted my artist morale. I leveled up from a beginner “Amazon” guitar to what was, at the time, my dream guitar. She played like butter compared to Apollo. I named her ‘Cherry Wine” after the Hozier song, inspired by Harry Styles's song “Cherry”. I would dive into my schoolwork and guitar for the next few years. 

Welcome to the start of my painting career, 2023, my senior year in high school. I randomly did an abstract painting. I said why not and put it on Facebook for sale. It sold within the first day. Funnily enough, it was my brother again. He encouraged me to continue painting. I had no idea at the time what it would grow into. I got commissioned the next day and within a week I had created what is still one of my favorite pieces. I put my head down, I made an art Facebook, Instagram, and a website. I started regularly posting on social media. I dropped two small collections “Wanderlust” and “Decades”. While I was reaping the rewards for all my hard work on that project. I was scouted for an exhibition. On April 5th, 2023,  just four months into my art career, I landed my first solo show. God is so faithful. It was set for the First Friday in August. That gave me all the boost I needed to continue knowing that this was meant to be. I graduated that June and had a banger of a graduation party (70s themed of course) and moved out. Just about all in one week. It was a busy few weeks, to say the least.

Now that I was in my apartment, with my partner, I had the whole basement to paint. From June to August my whole life was working and preparing for my first showing, and being a dog mom of course. The day of the show was amazing. It all felt like a dream. Anyone who ever told me art was stupid to pursue was wrong. It was such a great experience. Everyone loved my work and I got to talk to so many fellow artists. I felt so validated. 

After the show, I continued to paint of course. Painting was now a core part of my being. I was just painting and working. To be honest it was a weird period. I was sort of in a lull. You know, an artist lull. I felt little inspiration. It was almost artist's block. At the end of October, two months later, I moved to the opposite side of the country, a thousand miles south. I moved to Florida.

In Florida, I had a bright spacious area to create. I experimented a lot that month. In November I got a commission for another one of my favorite pieces called “ Dreaming of Glory”. I continued to experiment with Mixed Media and Oil Paint. In December, I landed my first and second commissions from a stranger. The whole process was amazing. The next month ( January 2024) I got a commission from an old friend. At the end of February, I flew home to Pennsylvania for a month. Of course, I didn't take a break from painting. On April 3rd I put out a collection called “To Live Is…”. That takes us to the current day, April 10th, 2024. I was just accepted to be in two exhibitions one in London UK and one in Athens Greece. Set for May 10th - 19th 2024. Insane. I am so grateful for all that God has given me. 

My closing statement is this. As a young adult, the first thing people will tell you when you're trying to carve your path in life is “You don't know what you're doing”. I’m here to tell you, that they didn't know what they were doing either when they first started. As long as you are following your calling or what you feel called to, you know what you are doing. Don’t let anyone's words stop you from pursuing your calling. Do it today. Don’t wait till tomorrow. If you start today imagine how far you’ll be in 5,10,15 years. Start learning. Take my story as inspiration. You are worthy, your art deserves to be seen. Take Action today.

Thank you for reading , Tatiana Tisdale