Who Was...? biography series for middle grade brings an American artist – Georgia O’Keeffe - who was known for her stunning paintings of flowers and landscapes.
Georgia O’Keefe (1887-1986) was raised on a farm in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, where she fell in love with her art classes. The nature she observed and drew became her best companion.
In Catholic school, she didn’t like the strict rules, and rebelled, which often got her into trouble. When her schoolmates talked about finding husbands, Georgia thought of becoming an artist.
At seventeen, she enrolled at the School of Art Institute of Chicago. Due to illness, she had to take a break and later continued her studies in NYC.
At twenty-five, she obtained a position in Texas where she taught art classes, but authorities wanted the teachings to be the old way. And there was a new movement in art. Again, this wasn’t the right place for her.
Georgia continued to take classes to improve her drawings, visiting galleries where she saw a new way of painting, not traditional one. Her ideas continued to shape in her head.
Her life continued to be a progress in developing her own style. She continued to teach art classes at different schools and taking classes from those who would benefit her progress.
When
Alfred Stieglitz displayed her art in his gallery in NYC, it became a turning point
in her life.
It started with art between them, but later developed into a relationship and marriage.
At fifty-eight, she became the first woman artist to have a major show at MOMA in NYC.
This biography illustrates a strong woman who became a pioneer by breaking rules throughout her life. In the process, finding her iconic style of objects very close-up.
Source: Penguin Workshop, 2022
TRENDING
INSPIRATION: She Stayed True to Who She Was. She Wasn’t Afraid to Go Against
Convention.
Traits:
·
She grew up on a farm which gave her
inspiration for her iconic style.
·
She didn’t like strict rules, and limitations
it created.
·
When her schoolmates talked about finding
husbands, Georgia thought of becoming an artist.
·
She observed a new movement in art and
continued to observe what was on display in museums and galleries. She never
stopped observing.
·
She took classes to improve her drawings. Her
learning progress never stopped.
·
Her life continued to be a progress in
developing her own style.
“My painting is what I have to give back to the world for what the world gives to me.” – Georgia O’Keeffe
“I know now that most people are so closely concerned with themselves that they are not aware of their own individuality. I can see myself, and it has helped me to say what I want to say - in paint.” – Georgia O’Keeffe
“I’ve
been absolutely terrified every moment of my life and I’ve never let it keep me
from a single thing that I wanted to do.” – Georgia O’Keeffe
FURTHER INSPIRATION AND RECOMMENDATION:
Awakening by Deepak Chopra – In his latest book, Deepak Chopra explores the subject of self-awareness, the deep awareness, the one that leads to awakening.
Your daily obstacles are like a road map, showing you what to unblock, what needs to be improved with your behavior, in order to reach the deeper awareness. Fear seems to be the obstacle blocking most of us from achieving the higher awareness that leads to miracles (things you want to receive in life but you block it because fear makes you stay for example at the same workplace).
The sutras give you tools to handle different obstacles in life. As you start removing blockages, the fear starts losing its power. You start feeling safer with your decisions. Eventually, fear dissipates.
For example, Sutra 2 talks about projecting the world - illusion vs wholeness. Before awakening, you’re in a state of fragmentation (when you go through ups and downs), the opposite of wholeness. When you live in the illusion, life becomes reactive, compulsive, ego-driven, self-absorbed, insecure, and anxious. It’s a mind disconnected from the source. The isolated mind projects its own fragmented state onto a fragmented world.
Each chapter (sutra) shows further how to practice each sutra. For example, embracing the unknown. We often choose security, the known, the predictable, because there is fear behind unknown. But when you step into the unknown without anticipation or expectation, the burden falls away. You can practice doing something creative, and by embracing it that will help you with transforming the unknown into a source of inspiration, and give comfort with stepping into unknown.
The Sutras also give guidance how to know when you’re not aligned with the source. For example, to know effortlessly is the highest form of knowing. The intuition or ‘aha’ moments should arrive spontaneously. When you’re aligned with the source and have a question, the answer should come effortlessly. When you don’t know the answer or search for it, it means you’re not aligned with the source.
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