I've just finished a painting.  This is no ordinary painting.  This is the first painting that I have done just for myself, not a commission, not a trade, just because I wanted to since I have returned to southern Appalachia from New Mexico. It's the first painting I've made since I felt my artistic creative flow coming back to me. It took me a while to get that flow back. It has been a rough journey, in some ways, to be honest. I remember almost exactly 10 years ago now going to Penland School of Crafts for a concentration in encaustic painting. It's a 2 month class, where the students live on campus, eat on campus, sleep in the dorms and are basically immersed in their creative practice. I quit my job in order to do it. I switched to a part-time, PRN (on call) position. It was a major life transition for me. I also became estranged from my mother and subsequently, my entire family during this time. This turned out to be the most loving thing I had ever done for myse...