Sometimes I get lost. I don’t mean out in the world, out in landscape. But, rather, lost in terms of any sense of how I fit within the world—unclear about what gives my life meaning or why I exist, where I belong.

I used to worry about beauty all the time. I never felt marginally attractive, let alone beautiful. I grew from being a gangly tom-boy into a very tall, rather plain-looking woman–this in a culture fixated on beauty.

I am so profoundly grateful for this life I am privileged to live as an artist. Cats and dogs nap in their favorite spots, near me in the studio. And my whole being is flush with gratitude.

Grandma was a painter. My family still owns one of her paintings that she painted on the canvas of her covered wagon.

Quite a few of you have been sending questions to me, which I absolutely love (keep ’em coming, please). Recently, one started nibbling away at me and I’ve been going back and forth with it ever since. The question: Is being an artist worth it?

This question was put to me the other day: What do artists do? And, of course, this could be answered in many different ways. In fact there are likely as many answers as there are artists. We are all individuals, after all.

These are eleven lessons I’ve learned about being a blogger. The High Road Artist blog began about a year and a half ago and I’ve learned a few things along the way.