In A Perfect World…..

Nothing would go wrong. Life would be as we plan it and live it. Days would pass and we would accomplish all we want to do and all our loved one would be safe and sound. We would be all we want to be and the same would be accomplished for everyone we love and cherish.
“We make plans and God Laughs”

This is an old saying that was told to me many years ago as I was building my photography studio business and “tree trunks” kept falling in my way and I had climb over them, brush myself off and continue on the journey that was to be my life and the roots of my professional life.

“Honesty Alert!”

I have over 5000 Facebook friends, the truth is most of them know me better than I know them. But there are many things they don’t know about me. Things I have kept private and to myself. As the years have passed I no longer feel a need to tell my “life story” to new friends who didn’t live it with me. But sitting down today to write a long overdue blog post makes me feel like sharing what has been going on and how it relates to us all and the past and the future. Todays post is not about my art or photography or what I teach or what I learn…it’s about lifes lessons we all learn the hard way.

So much happens to us and there is little we can do to change it.

Where Have I Been?

Well, the truth is that one of those things happened to me. Or rather to my best other half, Michael. In February on an ordinary night in an ordinary house, while watching ordinary tv, our lives were turned upside down with the few words of “I don’t feel good” while waving his hand over his chest. After the 911 call, the seven good looking emt guys in our living room, a fire engine, an ambulance and two unmarked cars on our small street, we started a new journey. To a triple bypass for his heart. The week before the Barbara Walters special about major heart surgery was on and I flipped the channel to something else. Now I had to live it with my loved one. The time in hospital saga is too long to go through here, but the bottom line is we are so lucky that we researched Asheville and it’s hospitals before moving here. Their heart unit is incredible.Every person we dealt with was amazing. And he survived it. And so did I. The call to 911 was made on February 10th and the surgery was the 15th and they sent him home on the 21st.

That is they sent him home to my care and feeding, plus the Care Partners that do home health. But I was living this as much as he was. After my own colon cancer surgery in December 2009 I thought we were home free. Now I saw that I had to live this with him. To get his diabetes under control, the gadzillion medications he was taking and “just us” to take care of us. So that is where I have been.

Life Lessons

I remember the first time I complained and whined and I wailed “That’s NOT Fair!” stamping my foot and was told “Life is NOT Fair”….ah, how true. But life is for living and while things get in the way, we must move on. While Michael was in the hospital for his heart surgery, my good friend tried to hide from me that her beautiful 18 year old daughter was in a life threatening car accident. She was dealing with that three hours from me and I felt helpless to help her when I needed all the help and strength I could get to deal with my own problems. Thankfully, both her daughter and Michael are on the road to recovery and both will be fine. It was like time was standing still.

Another time things didn’t seem fair was when my first baby was born in 1974 and he entered the world with all the drama that a first time mother dreads and fears. He was a beautiful baby, but born with multiple problems that changed our lives forever. After eight years we were again put into shock when he suddenly passed and was gone from our lives.

In between our lives were full of joy having another beautiful and healthy baby boy and the decision we made to take our healthy baby and run, closing down the factory and moving on with our lives.

Many, many other dramas,dreams that came true and some that didn’t. Dramas that make up life and death happened through the years. I successfully kept my private life separated from my professional life and enjoyed sharing my portrait clients lives and celebrating the big and little things in their lives and being able to document their images and create their family history was an incredible feeling.
Which Brings me To:

I truly love blogging here and sharing what I learned yesterday to pass it on to you all, but sometimes we have to disappear and regroup and clear our heads as life comes at us from the blindside. We have all been there. We have all done that. I needed a little time to get away. Clear my head, think about what I want to share with you all and gather up the links, webinars and art techniques that I can share. Thanks for understanding and listening. I enjoy all of your stories and sharing your lives on Facebook and Twitter…but now….it’s
BACK TO WORK!

Aah Asheville

Here we go ASHEVILLE counting down to the gallery opening of my newest Asheville,NC paintings. Hopefully you will be amazed and thrilled and you can even pick up a matted print also of your favorite place in the whole world.

We need you to come to the Opening November 27th at Ananda Studio in downtown Asheville directly across the street from Wasabi. It’s Thanksgiving weekend and you know you are going to want to be downtown!

We will have some Bruisin Ales beer and some snacks and of course all the ART you could want. Holiday Gifts is what we are thinking! We have worked really hard on getting this event off the ground and now all we need is you. There will be awesome LIVE music from Chris and you have got to check out his solo on the resonator! Come on out friends in AVL and enjoy the holiday weekend with us.

You can also check out the Facebook invite and respond there to the invite which is public. BRING FRIENDS!

(Don’t make me feel stupid sitting all alone with my family!)

Usually I don’t hide much from my internet family, but this time I had to and I know all will be forgiven for it this time. So here’s my story and I’m sticking to it. From my insides turned out, our life was turned upside down.

I have successfully avoided having my first baseline colonoscopy for the last two years since we moved to Asheville.
In Miami my primary doctor never sent me for one. (Still don’t know why that was. He sent me for mammograms and pap smears, why not the colonosopy) As soon as we got to Asheville my primary sent me for one that I ignored and canceled the appointment. Then at my checkup in October my primary really put it to me that it’s time to bite the bullet and do it. Since I had met my deductible for the year it seemed like I should. But even the day before I almost canceled again, but nope, I went.

So the details were that they found two tiny polyps. So that is good, right? That was Dec 9th and my doctor said he would send it to pathology and all looked good and I should hear in a week or two on the pathology.

Two days later on Friday at 4pm the phone rang and my doctor was on the other end…Not Good! Pathology called him because they found that one of the tiny polyps was cancer and a particularly nasty kind of carcinoma. He gave me a referral to a surgeon to be seen asap on the following Tuesday morning. I go see the surgeon and he schedules me for surgery the following week on December 23rd. He actually was going on his holiday vacation that day, but instead he wanted to come in that morning and do my surgery before he left on vacation. He thought it was that important.

So now the questions you are all asking in your heads will be answered. The carcinoma they found was so early it actually was not even a “stage”. The surgery was called a Right Colectomy which is the complete removal of the right ascending colon and then the large colon is reattached. The colon lymph nodes in that area are also all removed to be tested by pathology. This does NOT involve a colostomy which is when an external bag is required for waste. What I had is a completely contained surgery and there was no external bag needed. The surgery was all done laproscopic and staples closed my belly up.

I was in the hospital from Dec 23 to Dec 29th. Without going in more details, to be brief…ouch, ugh and tired. Soooo glad when I got to go home and two days after getting home my appetite returned. I was released on a regular diet and anything I want to eat, go ahead. (YAY!!)

Right before I was released from the hospital we got the awesome news that the pathology report from surgery was back and it’s GONE! No more colon cancer. All gone and after full recovery, move on with my life. No chemo needed! ( MORE YAY!)

The only bad part is that I had to cancel any events that involved travel or being away from home for at least a minimum of four weeks home recovery to let my insides heal despite my feeling good on the outside. Saw my surgeon and had the staples out and am recovering quite nicely Had to cancel our trip to Nashville for PPA convention and my trip to London, England to speak at SWPP. There was no way I could make either of those trips. Not a problem. We did not have anything planned for February and by March I will be perfect!

So the good side is that I do NOT have colon cancer now and I did not cancel my colonoscopy appointment. I get to spend weeks now putting together new tutorials, catching up my old work I am behind on, doing new paintings, updating the forum and my websites and I look at this as a gift that I was given to stay home and enjoy the enforced relaxed time to be the best I can be for the future and to put together an amazing kick ass program for WPPI Master Class!

I kept this quiet because it was the holidays and above all, it is very important that there are no rumors about my health that are not accurate. Today I am fantastic and am strong and thankful that this was all caught so early. So you know….I had ZERO symptoms, am in great health otherwise. Low cholesterol, low blood pressure and take no medications other than for sinus and thyroid. Doctors always comment on my good health and I always credit good red wine with being the secret to my success!

So here is to your good health in the New Year! Go for your checkups. Listen to your doctors! They already told me that if I had waited six months longer to get my colonoscopy the results would have been drastically different. Think about that!

My good wishes for you all to have even more success in the coming year than ever before and I am glad I will be here to see it all happen for you and to share my future plans and the steps I am taking to get my art out there more and also selling online, We have a lot of good things to look forward to and I am grateful for my online family and all our friends both online and in Asheville who have been incredibly helpful and supportive to Michael and I. The love and support of my family goes without saying and to those who I asked to keep this quiet over the holidays, thank you for honoring my wishes.  My thanks to the fabulous nurses at Mission Hospital who really do listen and care about their patients and don’t cut corners on their care.

So that is the truth about where I have been! Let’s move on and enjoy the year! I am ready to ROCK it!!

Marilyn

Going to Vegas to the biggest professional photography convention of the year. Staying at the MGM for a change and the entire event is there including two floors of tradeshow!

I will be speaking Monday 16th in the Millers Professional Imaging booth and showing easy techniques for doing digital paintings and creating true digital art. Our new You Tube channel already has many videos uploaded so be sure to subscribe there to get the latest uploads. I am planning one or more short video lessons each week. Look for new pictures from this event both on my FACEBOOK page and on my Flickr site.  Hoping to have some new VEGAS paintings from this trip also! Stop by and say hello and introduce yourself!

Touch of Fall 08 Painting, originally uploaded by marilynsholin.

Early Fall in Asheville painting here is a Touch of Fall as it starts spreading across the area. Tomorrow we will take a Blue Ridge Parkway drive to get better early fall foliage photos!

Finally hung Gabriel Shaffers painting and Cynthias triple sculpture ceramic. Have another of Cynthias in another room. This spot for them is temporary until we finish the house renovation. Right now they are hanging in our studio. Visit Gabriels flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/gabrielshaffer/

You can view more of Cynthias ceramic art at http://www.cynthialeeceramics.com/index.html

This week Red River Paper sent me an email to do an interview for the Digital Imaging Cafe. I thought it was so much fun to write and to think about their questions that it seemed like I should share it on the blog. So here’s the interview and when it’s actually posted on the site I’ll add the link to it also.

Marilyn Sholin

PPA: Master Craftsman Photographer, CPP

Corel Painter Master

Author, Artist & Educator

www.marilynsholin.com

1. What is the most valuable advice that you had received and found most useful in your career?

Advice comes cheap doesn’t it? But valuable advice comes rarely! I was extremely lucky to have a mentor early in my career who gave me advice I have tried to follow for over twenty five years. He said to always follow my own creative style and not to let education change my style. He emphasized to me that education in photography should be about learning the techniques but not to let that infringe on my own style. Don’t try to copy what others are doing instead use the technology to create your own visions.

He also taught me that the more we give back to teach others, the more we learn ourselves. That is why I enjoy teaching and speaking so much. I get to meet others at different places in their careers and to join them on their journeys and become a part of it. There is nothing more exciting than to see the light bulbs starting going on in people’s heads while teaching!

2. What is the most important thing you could teach another photographer about succeeding in photography, whether technical, business or artistically?

I absolutely try to leave everyone I meet with this one piece from my own life. BE FEARLESS!

Learn that everyone is afraid! Fear is what holds back success. Get over the fear and just do it, try it, shoot it and show it. Nothing bad will come from it. The most successful people have learned from their failures. Failures are a learning experience. Never stop creating no matter what it is. Whether it’s a day spent in the kitchen cooking or out shooting flowers or working on an image in digital image programs….it’s all about creativity in your entire life. Go visit other studios, galleries and museums to keep the creativity alive! Take notes, draw sketches even if you can’t draw. Make yourself unafraid to try things you never did before.

Fear=Absolute Failure from lack of exploration.

3. Which is more important to you…composition or content? Why?

Without composition there is no content. Composition is what leads the eye through the image and creates the content and transfers it to the brain. Content could be a glass of water but when it is put off center and maybe a leading line to it with background interest it becomes composition that creates the art. Without all that, it’s just a glass of water.

4. Are there certain mistakes made in your career that have taught you important lessons? If so, what?

Oh wow, which one of my gadzillion mistakes should I talk about here? Mistakes are what make a career! I always tell new artists and photographers that the number one mistake I made starting out was not charging enough for my work. It took too long to raise those prices and get into a new clientele in the right price market. Start out at the beginning to charge what is right, not what you think you are worth! Compare your prices with the best in your market and set your own prices reasonably similar. What matters is not how good you think you are, but how you present yourself to the market and where you put yourself in the marketplace. Wherever you start makes it harder to change later.

5. Was there a particular photo that inspired you to become a photographer? Is it your own or someone else’s? Can you show or describe it to us and explain how it moved you?

My inspiration for visual arts and photography was my family. As a child my mother took me to all the museums in New York City and had art books all over our house. She had art on the walls and also had 16×20 black and white portraits on the wall in the living room of my brothers and myself. My mother had a great joy and love of photography and all visual arts and passed that on to me. As a child I thought I could never be an “artist” because I couldn’t draw. Instead I opted for photography which was very much a part of our lives. My brothers had a darkroom in the house and my uncle had one of the first Polaroid cameras. My mother always hired the local town photographer for family events and cameras were always a part of our lives. So I started out as a photographer and for my sixteenth birthday I got my first camera that was all mine. I became the family photographer and gradually moved up to classes in 35mm and developing and printing my own work.

When I discovered Corel Painter software my life became complete because I could finally do with it what my mind had been seeing whenever I photographed. I always looked through the camera and saw much more than was there but had no idea how to make it more “my own” and not just a photo. With the current digital painting world I am now able to fully realize the art I always wanted to create. My influences now are more in the painting world than the photography world.

6. If it was your last day on earth, what would you want to photograph?

Color COLOR and more COLOR. Color is life to me. If it was my last day on earth I would want it to be the height of fall colors in the mountains and that is what I would want to photograph and paint. I live for color now and the ways to bend it and make it my own.

For more information about Marilyn and digital painting visit one of her web sites.

http://www.marilynsholin.com/blog

http://www.flickr.com/photos/marilynsholin/

Marilyn’s Events, Workshops, Webinairs and Online Classes

http://www.marilynsholin.com/archive/2008/updated-marilyn-sholin-event-schedule/

BOOKS:

The Art of Digital Photo Painting: Using Popular Software to Create Masterpieces (A Lark Photography Book) (Paperback)

by Marilyn Sholin (Author)

Studio Portrait Photography of Children and Babies (Paperback)

by Marilyn Sholin (Author)

Tutorials and Free Downloads

http://www.digitalpaintingforum.com/shop

Join the Digital Painting Forum

http://www.digitalpaintingforum.com

Gabriel Shaffer Art, originally uploaded by marilynsholin.

This is our new painting for the house. It’s not hung yet but we are so excited to own it we wanted to share it with you. Gabriel is an amazing Asheville artist that we found through a number of places and then met in person at the Biltmore Art Festival where we fell in love with this NYC piece of his. We also went to his opening at the Satellite Gallery in Asheville to pick our painting up. We wish him all the success he deserves! Visit his sites! http://www.gabrielshaffer.com/

Click on the photo and it will take you to more close up views of this painting on my Flickr site.

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED. Instead,come to the Asheville Beginner Workshop in October!

Just updated all this info with many specifics. Please read through it all and if you have questions, email direct.

October 5 and 6 2008

$400.00
We do have EARLY BIRD PRICING for this workshop. To take advantage of it please email Marilyn DIRECT at:
marilynsholin@gmail.com
SUBJECT HEADING: VANCOUVER EARLY BIRD

Register by May 15th….get a whopping $75 OFF plus a BONUS FREEBIE of my Photoshop Mixed Bag CD FREE
(CD’s will be delivered on site AT the workshop and not shipped)
After May 15th the price is $50 off until June 30th NO FREE CD
After June 30th…Full Price….NO FREE CD…NO EXCEPTIONS!

Join us for a PAINTER X Workshop in Vancouver,BC.
We will be covering all the tips and tricks to paint from photo
reference skin,hair,eyes,backgrounds and details. Everything
you need to sell paintings in your studio. Learn the right
brushes and how to customize them for each type of portrait
painting.

We will cover studio,environmental and even wedding portraits.
This is a Beginner/Intermediate Workshop.

SEATING IS LIMITED! We will be at Karen Anne Learmonth
studio: 21308 RIver Road, Maple Ridge, V2X 2A9. Canada
Call Karen for directions: 778-840-5676

Register Here or go to the Workshop site.

By reserving your place, you are agreeing to the terms and conditions for this workshop.

MORE INFO:

You do NOT need to have Photoshop for this workshop.
I will not spend time in there. We will do it all in Painter, but
if everyone has Photoshop I will just show a few things in it.

YOU NEED:
Painter X (not 8 not IX not IX.5…you MUST have Painter X)
Wacom tablet with stylus to paint
power strip
recommend a wireless mouse

If you are PC download Alien Skin Snap Art the week of the workshop and install it to the PLUG INS folder of Painter X.
It has a free 30 Day download.
If you are PC you can download Alien Skin Snap Art and install it in Photoshop or the pther host applications.

Here is the info for Snap Art:

On the Windows system, here are Snap Art’s tested and supported hosts;

* Adobe Photoshop CS or later
* Adobe Photoshop Elements 4 or later
* Adobe Fireworks CS3*
* Corel Paint Shop Pro XI or later

… on the Mac;

* Adobe Photoshop CS2 9.0.2 or later
* Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0.1 or later
* Adobe Fireworks CS3*

WORKSHOP INFO: This is a TWO DAY Workshop which is a short time to try to cover everything I like to cover and share all my new techniques for painting. I will DISCUSS embellishing the final prints but will NOT be doing it on site. That would take too long and be too messy. We can schedule another workshop that includes that at another time, or please come to NIAGARA SCHOOL in Ontario where we will be doing that in depth.

Also, we will be discussing the business of being an artist, but again, we are really there to PAINT. I will share my ideas and marketing and most current successful campaigns and resources for more information on selling your art.

HANDOUTS: Everyone will receive a CD with documents on it and files that are printable. They are NOT meant to be the workshop instructions on a CD. They are a supplement to the class and include articles,resources,magazine articles and other information that I share with my students. Brushes and images for class are also included and we will be installing them. The CD is my gift to each student.

Blackbird Frame and Art Gallery had a wonderful opening yesterday at their new Lexington location which is full of light and amazing frames and art. My good friend and artist Binna Green had a showing of her fabulous ceramics and her "Goddess" greeted you at the front door! We were so taken with a beautiful battered colorful tin mirror by Silo Valley Copperworks Jesse Lee that it had to come home with us. Like many artists in Asheville Binna and Jesse are too busy to get their websites up but you can see their work at the gallery live and in person.

After the opening we went to Rezaz for lunch which was, as always, fabulous but the stand out for me was the humus with pomegranate and walnuts. WOW! Fabulous! Everything was good but that really got my attention.

Had a wonderful "artful" day and now it’s back to work.