Learning to Credit Myself

I have a wonderful announcement to share with you: One of my pieces is going to be in the Texas Art Exhibition in August 2026 at the Beeville Art Museum.

The piece that will be featured in the Beeville Art Museum’s gallery is named Magic Contained and it features vibrant goldfish in a pond. Made with acrylic paints, this piece is special to me because it is inspired by my mother’s pond in her backyard. My mom’s home was nestled in the outskirts of Beeville, TX. It was there that I read encyclopedias of nature, looked for grasshoppers in the yard, watched lightning bugs light up in the tall grass, and listened to the Dog Day Cicada’s (yes, that is their real name) droning calls in the blistering evenings while laying on our trampoline. The painting pays tribute to a home, and the people within it, that built me and sowed my appreciation for the natural world.

I am so excited to see this in a museum’s art gallery and it has been quite a difficult journey to give myself credit where credit is due, without downplaying it, when sharing my excitement with others. Artists, such as myself, are our worst critics. We see every mistake in our piece, doubt every crooked brush stroke that gives it character, and compare our art to others within the gallery. Maybe you can relate to this.

This piece was all about celebrating what built me and reveling in the artistic journey and I need to work past the doubt and enjoy the process. Being an amateur is not a bad thing and does not devalue the piece. Instead, it’s a launching point. The first stepping stone of many in a river. I just need to take one stone at a time to get across.

I implore you, dear reader, to not be afraid to do The Thing you have been avoiding out of fear. And fear not of perfection. Have no fear of getting it wrong the first few times. Repetition doesn’t make perfection (but it gets pretty close to it.)

To quote my favorite president, Teddy Roosevelt, “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

So, it is with this first step that I celebrate myself and my accomplishments. I will be sharing this on every platform I can.

Thank you so much for your ongoing support.

— Amber