My Cousin, Terri Lawson

My cousin, Terri, had this great little story on her web site that I wanted to share. You can view some of her art by clicking her name in the title of this entry.

"I discovered that I could draw when I was in the second grade. It was a rabbit that rocketed me to star status for the day. I was hooked.
I got older, I got more critical of my drawings. I needed help. My hero at the time was Walter T. Foster...you remember him...the author of all those ‘How To Draw’ books. I was only 8 years old, but I needed to let Walter know I was out there, trying to follow in his footsteps. I drew him several pictures, mostly horses, and sent them to his publishers address. Weeks dragged by, no response. My little 8 year old heart was crushed. I gave up. My first taste of the fickle world of art was bitter indeed.
Then it happened. A giant manilla envelope arrived in the mail. Walter came through! My disappointment evaporated as I tore the envelope open. There it was, a new ‘How To’ book from my mentor. I looked, but couldn’t find the much anticipated letter I had hoped for. I must have inspected each page a dozen times before I finally found it. There it was, two handwritten sentences from the great man himself....” To Terri, may you become a great artist someday. It will take lots of work.” Sincerely, Walter T. Foster.

Thank you Walter."


I love the line, "It will take a lot of work". I think exceptional artists are those who have internalized that truth. Whether it's sculpture, painting, performing on an instrument, or writing - only those who commit themselves to hard work for years and years become artists in the truest sense of the word.

I think in our youth obsessed culture, it's easy for those of us who are getting older to say, "my time to create is past". Equally, I'd say the notion that art is for creating income squelches creativity. The creative impulse should be exercised throughout the artist's lifetime primarily to honor the Creator.

I'm thinking of my songwriting now. The creative fountain that used to gush out songs has slowed to a trickle. Terri's little story makes me want to dust off the songwriting notebooks and get back to that "lots of work" that will honor my Creator, whether anyone else ever hears the songs or not.

Thank you, Terri.