I know what you mean about avoiding the 'crafty'. I spent a lot of time rebelling against that stuff because it DID NOT fit into my fantasy feminist image of who I wanted to be, but somewhere in the road I started to feel a little isolated by that. A friend of mine's mother who is a college professor had to correct me and my misunderstanding 'NO! We (feminists) fought all of those years so you COULD do all of those things! That means everything you want to do.'

I also remember another big misconception that I had for most of my childhood was an awareness of the distinct dichotomy of all things. Thinking that everything was 'good'vs 'bad' or 'beautiful'vs'ugly' or the 'right way'vs'the wrong way' was just devestating to my confidence...but safe. I was incredibly shy. I didn't understand the subjectivity of all judgement and I thought everyone knew something I didn't or couldn't! When I got into college I majored in history and enrolled in an experimental critical thinking cirriculum offered by my school...my professors asked me to write extensive papers based on a theory of events in history and prove that theory with evidence. I was stunned and confused and frozen up inside! I thought history was 'just the facts' and that my education consisted of only absolute truths NOT hypothosis! I actually argued with one of them about this! (I wonder if a professor lives for that 'a-ha!' moment, or if they just shake their heads inside thinking 'What a hick!'). Anyway, that was a major breakthrough for me because I was free to experiment in life and in art. Everything changed! So...not everybody loves a painting because a painting IS good. Some people think it is good, and some people prefer another. Sometimes the OUTPUT is insignificant, but the sentiment or emotion is...or the craft process is enriching to the artist and meaningless to the viewer. The important thing is that creating and applying inpiration is a form of worship and a giving up oneself.

My mom always says when viewing a Picasso cubist work 'Ridiculous! I could do that!'. I tell her now...'No, you couldn't. You can't. I'll give you 5 years to complete it, get started go! You cannot get that out.' I'm not sure if she understands what I'm saying... it's not that the act of painting is too technical, but rather the emotion too abstract and the canvass too concrete for her to apply herself to render...for any of us to render!