I’m pleased to announced that my first ever arttutorial is here!!! Discover the necessary supplies for watercolorpainting and practice two techniques today!
Feel comfortable and capable as I guide you through what you’ll need to get started in watercolor painting!
Social media dictates that you should have a niche to grow your platform. To be honest, I have struggled with this. It feels oppressive. Why put myself in a box? Why should I niche down who and what I am and what I do? I’m a multipassionate, multidimensional human being. I have railed against a niche until I realized I don’t have to.
Pictured: Misty Lemons, a multipassionate multidimensional artist & human being
I can be me and keep doing all I do. Through healing my childhood trauma and all the work I’ve put into it, and how I’ve always used art to cope, I now know I am my niche. My niche is me. It fits me, and there’s peace in that.
My niche is Inspiring Emotional Well-Being Through Art. It’s always been that. I just wasn’t able to put it into words until recently. It helps give my platform direction and meaning. I look forward to continuing to grow and creating more! It’s exciting to better connect with others through my niche!
In any case, thank you for supporting me while I’m on this journey of healing and self-discovery. I appreciate you.
To Shop & Learn More About Me & My Artwork, Please Visit: My LinkTree
*This blog is for educational purposes only. I’m not a therapist or doctor.*
Copyrights & Reproduction Rights Belong Solely To: Misty R. Lemons/Designs By Misty Blue Do Not Copy Or Reproduce
Today, I’m reminding myself that it’s okay to not be everyone’s caregiver. It may sound selfish, but it isn’t. Boundaries and self care are so incredibly important and necessary to foster good mental and emotional health and well being.
I was always the friend who looked out for everyone. I was the people pleaser because I thought that’s how love worked. The whole “do unto others as you’d have done unto you” drilled into my psyche. I was always thinking ahead, planning, and anticipating to meet everyone’s needs. I was always a parent, an old soul, and so mature for my age. It’s a tremendously heavy and unhealthy burden to bear.
I came across this image on Instagram and it seems completely appropriate. It appears credit should go to Trufoundstory.
I was raised to be a caregiver by my family. Taught that I should cater to my father’s needs and whims, that I’m my brother’s keeper, and an emotional dumping ground for my mother. And I was expected to not ever really accomplish much of anything in my own life, other than to get married and be a mom.
I was consistently shown that my needs didn’t matter and took a backseat to everyone else’s. I wasn’t fully allowed to just be a child or person.
Growing up, I would watch my mother, who was also raised this way, become angry, burned out, and, at times, be incredibly selfish and cruel. She didn’t want children of her own so early on in her life. She wanted to party and be free. It just didn’t work out like that for her. She resented it, as displayed through some of her actions and in journals I found after her passing.
My mother had basically raised her sisters and then, upon becoming an adult, pretty immediately became a mother to me. She was always a parent and never could enjoy just being young. Her identity and purpose were wrapped in caring for others and in responsibility.
Who would care and comfort me, though? Oftentimes, I was neglected. I was used and taken advantage of. Manipulated and looked down upon. Rejected. Abused. My most basic of emotional needs rarely met. Inherently, I came to believe my worth was tied to my usefulness to others.
For the past couple of years, I’ve been on a trauma healing journey, though and I’m realizing all of this now. Through soul searching and trauma research, I’ve discovered that the answer to the question of who will care for me is me. I have to put in boundaries to protect myself. I’m not everyone’s parent. Not my parents’ parents, not my friends, my brother’s, my spouse, or strangers on the internet or beyond. Nope. It’s not my responsibility.
I have needs too and I choose to honor myself by caring for me. Boundaries help me have authentic connection in my relationships and any care I give is by choice and not programming. The cycle of generational trauma will end with me.
If you’ve ever experienced anything similar, please feel free to share in the comments.
To Learn More About Me, My Trauma Healing Journey, And My Artwork, Please Visit My LinkTree. Thank You.
Copyrights Belong Solely To Misty R. Lemons/Designs By Misty Blue Art Do Not Copy Or Reproduce (Excludes Image Of Lisa Simpson)
I’ve got a fantastic opportunity on the horizon: a chance to exhibit my artwork at the prestigious Grove Gallery in London and collaborate with the incredible team at Wraptious to develop a commercial range of products.
Your support can make a huge difference. Here’s how you can help:
1.) Vote & Share. Head over to the link above, give my entry a like & share it with your friends from there.
2.) Buy My Design: To further bolster my journey in this competition, consider purchasing “Rainbow Llama” on a luxuriously soft vegan suede pillow. Your choice to invest in this design brings me a step closer to securing a spot in the winner’s circle. Thank you!
Your Vote & Shares Count!
To Learn More About Me And My Artwork, Please Visit My LinkTree.
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Today I experienced my first ever podcast interview! (You can listen to it on Spotify now!) The podcast channel is called Past Level 50 With Mel and my particular episode is called “Facing Trauma Without The Mask: Misty’s Story”.
Mel and I follow each other on TikTok and that’s how we “met”. She reached out to me about a week ago and invited me to do a podcast with her, after I had mentioned that someday I’d like to do a TEDx Talk and podcast interview about how I’ve used art to help me cope and heal my childhood trauma.
Mel is so easy to talk to. She immediately put me at ease. She’s genuinely kind and real.
I started my trauma healing journey two years ago and today was the culmination of what I’ve learned along the way.
Talking about my life isn’t easy. In fact, it goes against everything I was taught growing up and is foreign to me. I was expected to be quiet and not have needs or emotions. I was taught it was better for me to be invisible and not make myself a target. It’s how I survived.
Here I am holding a foam sculpture I made with an endearing message that means a lot to me
Today triggered me. I felt like I was shaming my mother and her memory. Like I was the bad child my parents made me out to be. Like I was failing her. But the truth is these things happened. I didn’t ask to be born, nor did I ask to be abused by people who should’ve protected me and comforted me. They failed me.
None of this has been easy for me. It’s like ripping a big bandage off a deep, angry wound. It’s raw and painful. But the wound needs to be exposed to the light to heal properly. Keeping this locked inside no longer serves me.
I don’t want to be a prisoner of the past. I owe it to myself to honor myself and my truth. And hopefully, my story will help others know that healing is possible. Though, my main goal is to feel better by healing myself and my family. But I love hearing that it helps others as well. That’s wonderful and amazing to me!
This is a journey I’ll probably be on the rest of my life, but it’s worth it because every step of the way more of the weight is lifted from me.
My mom was troubled. She had her own trauma and didn’t have the tools to cope or heal, but she wanted to and she tried. She did get some things right. She apologized to me a few years ago and genuinely meant it. I forgive her and I love and miss her. I’m her legacy and my healing and ending the generational trauma cycle is my legacy for me and future generations.
Easter with my mom and brother. This was her favorite memory and one of mine too. This photo was at her bedside when she passed. I was at her side too.
If you’ve ever experienced anything similar, please feel free to share in the comments.
To Learn More About Me And My Artwork, Please Visit My LinkTree
Copyrights & Reproduction Rights Belong Solely To Misty Lemons/Designs By Misty Blue Do Not Copy
I am celebrating my life and all the hard work it took to get to where I am now.
For the past two years, I’ve been working on healing my childhood trauma and ptsd.
Highlights From My Life In The Past Year
Looking back now, I see just how far I’ve come. Loud unexpected noises don’t cause my body to go into an adrenaline filled tailspin. It would make me feel sick for a day or two. I recover almost instantly now. And when I’m triggered, which is less often, I’m able to analyze why it happened and how to move through it.
Along the way, I received some therapy. I journalled, sat with my feelings and let them pass through (I don’t ignore or resist them now), I got outside and painted, took up sculpting, and researched quite a bit on Pinterest.
Here I Am Sporting A New Hairdo And Wearing Polymer Clay Earrings & Pin That I Made
Journalling helped me process my thoughts and emotions. I had several breakthroughs that way. And Pinterest gave me new information I didn’t have before.
I didn’t think I’d live past the age of 17. Yet here I am now at 43. At home in my body. Loved and accepted by myself. At peace.
I don’t know what’s next, but whatever it is, I’m hopeful and grateful.
If you’ve ever experienced anything similar, please feel free to share in the comments.
To Learn More About Me And My Artwork, Please Visit: My LinkTree
Eleven years ago, I had surgery to remove my thyroid. I had two terribly painful lemon size nodules on my thyroid. One in front of the other.
Here I Am, Before Surgery. I Look Happy, But Was Completely Scared.
When they removed everything, they ran tests on the thyroid and nodules. They found a small amount of cancer in my thyroid. Thankfully, removing it was enough to treat it. I didn’t need chemotherapy.
Here I Am After Surgery And Having An Ordeal Post Op. I Was Miserable And Could Hardly Speak. The Surgery Effected My Vocal Chords.
My health is still a struggle, even after all these years. But in all this time, I’ve also had incredible and wonderful things happen that I’m extremely grateful for.
Here I Am (Center) With My Husband (Left) And Son (Right). We Have A Silly Accessories Filter On. This Was Taken At A Local Art And Music Festival.
Spending time with my family and creating art are at the top of my list of things I’m thankful for.
I’ve won awards for my art and photography. I’ve gotten to paint a mural, curated an exhibition that I participated in with a great group of art friends, I stream live while I paint, and so many more fantastic things, in spite of my health and childhood and medical trauma.
Here’s The Give Love Project And Exhibition I Curated And Participated In With A Great Group Of Art Friends. (My Piece Is Pictured Center)
It has been a tough journey, but I’m glad I could be on it. I’m still here and made a YouTube video to prove it!
I lost my mom and my dog this year, within months of each other. And as hard as it’s been, I’m blessed to have gotten to share my life with them. They blessed me with their love and support. I miss them every single day. I hope they can see me and are cheering me on.
Here’s A Glamour Shot Of My Beautiful Momma! I Miss You, Mom And Love You Bunches!Here’s My Beautiful Buddy (A Lab Heeler Mix) Who I Lost Two Months Before Losing My Mom. I Miss Him So Much. Here’s A Photo I Recently Took Of Myself On One Of My Jaunts To Paint In The Park (I Stream It Live On TikTok, Designs By Misty Blue)
If you’ve ever experienced anything similar, please feel free to share in the comments.
Thank you for reading my blog and for supporting me. To learn more about me, visit my LinkTree.
Copyrights & Reproduction Rights Belong Solely To Misty R. Lemons/Designs By Misty Blue Do Not Copy
I’m putting together a proposal for a gallery exhibition. I have art pieces in mind. Some need to be framed (paintings and drawings) and others will need to be printed onto canvas and framed (digital art). I’m calling my exhibit, “A Light In The Dark”.
The theme for my exhibition is my journey through generational trauma and how art has been a major coping mechanism and driving force in my healing, throughout my life.
I want to incorporate pieces from my childhood and teenage years, as well as work from my adulthood.
Here, I am standing in the beautiful gallery space I want my exhibition to be in
Art is an extremely pure form of expression, in my opinion. It helps the artist express and work through buried thoughts and emotions. It’s also a form of meditation and living in the moment, when you’re creating. Which, in turn helps with anxiety and depression.
As I’m Working To Put This Exhibition Proposal Together, I Made A Video Talking About What Motivated Me To Do So, Please Watch
Putting this together, on my own, will be an expensive undertaking. But I need to be fully prepared and ready to go, should my proposal be accepted. I want to put forth a fully fleshed out exhibition, before I approach the gallery. The gallery is more like a museum setting, so the pieces will not be shown for purchase. I will not be making money from this.
I’ve set up a Kofi Fundraiser to help offset costs. If you feel inspired to help me make this exhibition a reality, it is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Copyrights: Misty R. Lemons/Designs By Misty Blue Do Not Copy
Let me start by saying how incredibly grateful I am for the wonderful people in my life. Family, art friends, and kind people on the internet. I never want to take them for granted.
I haven’t been as active, artwise, this year, as I’ve been in previous years, due to heartbreaking life events.
As you may or may not know, I suffer from chronic illnesses. Every day, every moment my symptoms can change. Dealing with health problems is time consuming, expensive, and draining on your mental health. It’s devastating and isolating. I’ve really taken the year to focus on my mental health and heal past childhood traumas, in hopes it helps my overall health.
June wasn’t a good month for me and my family. My dog became extremely ill and we spent all we could to try to save him, last October. And we did. We got around eight more months with him, before he became ill again. We made the excruciatingly painful decision to ease his suffering. He passed June 8th. He was my bestest buddy and I’ve been mourning his loss a great deal.
My beautiful, sweet boy, Bones
Then, last month, August, I was painting, when my brother called to tell me our mom was in the hospital. She was dying. She was moved to hospice, where she passed away. It all happened so quickly and unexpectedly. But I was by her side, when she passed and we got to say our “I love you’s” to each other, before she went.
My mother’s passing has hit me hard. I haven’t painted anything in the past month. I just wasn’t able to bring myself to do it, until today. My mom would always see my Instagram posts and tell me how much she loved my artwork. She’ll never get to do that again and it hurts so much. I just didn’t feel like creating, but I also know art heals the soul.
I decided, despite everything, to take myself out to lunch and then to go paint in the park today. I’m so glad I did. I actually had some fun and I hope my mom was there with me.
Painting pumpkins in the park on my mom’s blanket
I’ve had a few of my art pieces on exhibit earlier in the year. And I was recently asked to join an exhibition at The Lil Blue Goat in Mansfield Texas. The artist’s reception is October 14th, with details in the above link. I’ve been thinking of joining a biweekly artist get together to get out more, also.
Both watercolor pieces are on exhibit at The Lil Blue Goat in Mansfield Texas. The top piece has sold. The bottom is available.
I’m still here, though. I post on TikTok pretty much daily. I’m on Instagram and YouTube also. As well as Facebook and Pinterest. I also have loads of work available in my Society6 shop and some in my new Threadless shop. You can find everything through my LinkTree.
This beautiful design of mine is available in my Threadless shop. Link above.
Thank you so much for supporting me, my work, and this little blog of mine. Take care of yourself and hug your mom, if you can.
Blog & Art Copyrights & Reproduction Rights Belong Solely To The Artist, Misty R. Lemons/Designs By Misty Blue Do Not Copy
A year ago, I purchased an antique rocking horse from an acquaintance. It was beige and had no detailing on it, but I saw potential.
Beige Antique Rocking Horse In Need Of Refurbishment
I immediately envisioned it being turquoise. I set out to sand it, but discovered so many layers of old paint that were stubborn and would need to be chemically removed. So, I handed the horse over to my father in law, who I knew could help with this.
Rocking Horse In Process Of Paint Removal
Under the layers of paint emerged what could’ve been the original details of the horse. The layers removed were beige, light pink, dark brown, and finally, white. Signs of all the lives the horse had lived! Once all paint was stripped, it was time to fill holes with wood filler and sand smooth.
Rocking Horse During Hole Repair ProcessRocking Horse Repaired, Sanded, And Ready For Paint
Finally, the horse had a smooth clean surface to work with. I wanted to do right by the horse and respect it by giving it a new life and restore it properly. That was important to me. I didn’t want to just slap on another layer of paint. It was a lot of hard work that wound up taking a year, but the end results were worth it. It turned out beautifully!
Rocking Horse Being Painted Turquoise
I painted the horse with turquoise paint. With a dark brown saddle, I felt it was complimentary. It took three coats to properly coat the horse.
Artist Misty Lemons Paints A Wooden Antique Rocking Horse In A Lovely Shade Of Turquoise
Turquoise Rocking Horse
I could’ve left the horse as is at this point, but felt restoring facial details were important to the piece.
Penciled On Details, Preparing For Face PaintRocking Horse With A Cute Painted On Face, Mane, And BridleArtist Misty Lemons Painting Hooves Onto A Rocking HorseArtist Misty Lemons Painting Hooves Onto A Rocking HorseThe Rocking Horse Finishing Details Are Complete And Is Sealed With Clear Coat
After all the painting was complete, I added corresponding colored leather ears (which I cut and shaped myself) and a super soft white cotton yarn tail. My husband helped me drill the hole for a tail, since the horse never had one. I attached the ears with heart shaped furniture tacks. I even gave the horse a name! Introducing Charlie Horse!
Drilling A Hole To Give The Rocking Horse A TailHere I Am Imagining What The Tail Would Like On The HorseLeather Ears After Being Applied To The HorseLeather Ears After Being Applied To The Horse
Aside from all the work involved, it took a year to complete because I had health issues I was dealing with. But it was a labor of love. I enjoyed the project immensely. The plan was to surprise my niece and nephew with it for Christmas, so the project was extra special and meant so much to me.
Rocking Horse With White Cotton Yarn Tail AttachedRocking Horse With White Cotton Yarn Tail AttachedI Made The Bow To Add An Extra Special Detail For My Niece And NephewFinished Rocking Horse With Santa BowArtist Misty Lemons Standing With Refinished Rocking Horse She CompletedArtist Misty Lemons Standing With Refinished Rocking Horse She Completed
I wish this story had a happy ending, but unfortunately that’s just not reality. My niece and nephew will never get to enjoy the fruits of my labor.
I shipped through UPS. I paid to have it packaged with extra care. But the box arrived to them damaged.
Not only was the box damaged, but the horse was destroyed. The legs were broken completely off. The rocker was also damaged. And if UPS refunds me the shipping and packing fees and the insurance I paid for, it still won’t be enough to replace this horse and what it meant. It was irreplaceable. Rest in peace, Charlie. I’m sorry this was your fate.
Rocking Horse With Broken LegRocking Horse With Broken LegRocking Horse With Broken LegRocking Horse With Broken RockerRocking Horse With Broken Rocker
My brother said he might try to glue it back together. I’m just not sure it’ll work. It certainly won’t be pretty and my niece may be the only one light enough to use it.
With my recent health issues and my dog almost dying, we have exhausted our resources to medical bills. But I spent what little I had left to ship that horse because I wanted someone I love to have a special Christmas. Despite my family’s woes, I sincerely hope you, dear reader, have a beautiful Christmas with your loved ones. Hold them extra tight. Hopefully, next year will be better for my family.
I appreciate a follow, a like, and if you have it in your heart to help, I have links to my PayPal and shops on my Link Tree. Thank you so very much. Blessings to you and yours today and always.
Copyrights: Misty R. Lemons/Designs By Misty Blue Do Not Copy
Misty Blue Arts 