Out of the Comfort Zone

Sitting down with Kevin Ivester at Davis Gallery Saturday 

Except for brief moments in my life, I would describe myself as a confirmed introvert. When I walk into a restaurant, I find myself heading for my table with my head all but down and my eyes focused on where I'm going, instead of looking around for familiar faces like my (very) extroverted husband does. I'd generally rather stay home than go out, and I am absolutely energized by and fine with time in my own space, in my own head, outdoors or indoors, and I'm really quite happy in the back row. I'm a really good listener!

While these preferences serve me very well when I'm painting, sometimes things like workshops and Artist Talks pop into my orbit, and then I'm challenged to step outside of my comfort zone. Anxiety creeps in and pushes me to over-prepare, and then magically, the thing happens and it goes well and my world is just fine again. Actually, it's better than just fine, because I learn that I'm capable of more than I expected, and maybe I enjoyed whatever it was, and it's often likely others did as well. This is growth, and it's really important for those of us who are introverts to allow ourselves the opportunity to have experiences we wouldn't normally embrace. 

All this to say, I sincerely enjoyed my conversation with Kevin Ivester Saturday afternoon at Davis Gallery here in Austin.  And I really appreciated those who came and asked questions and were interested in my story and what I had to say. It's humbling to have others respect and enjoy my work, and talking about what I love, (even publicly), now ranks pretty high on my list.

-julie davis

*Earth, Land, Property stays up through December 1

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