IT’S SHOW TIME!!!

Welcome back to my blog! It’s been a hectic week so far! I have spent the last month and a half preparing for my first time as a vendor for the Bakery District Street Fest in Fort Smith, Arkansas. which is tomorrow! You can check them out here: https://bakeryfs.com. This will be the first live advocacy painting demo that I’ve ever done and I’m not gonna lie, I’m a tad bit nervous! Not because I don’t feel confident enough in my work or painting in front a large crowd but I fear the feedback! Well, fear might be too harsh of a word. I dread the feedback because all I’m anticipating is negative stuff. But we’ll see what happens.

I was really fortunate enough to claim an indoor space which means I didn’t have to invest in a canopy tent, thank goodness! All I really had to purchase was some marketing material like business cards and such. I did have to buy another easel that was more transportable. Not sure how that’s going to go but I’m hoping that I won’t have a hard time assembling it on the day of.

I think I got everything packed and ready to head off in the morning, just some last minute items like my pastels and sealer but other than that.. it’s show time!

Tune in next week to find out how it went and if I received any of the negative feedback that I was for sure was going to receive. You might be surprised…

Cya next time!

Close-up of a red pencil writing 'stress' on paper, symbolizing pressure and creativity.

THE JOURNEY BEGINS

Hello and welcome back to my blog! This week has been somewhat stressful for me. It’s not like I’ve had a to-do list a mile long but it’s the self-doubt and mental anguish that I’ve been putting myself through that is getting to me!!! This week I have caught myself wondering, “what good is going to come from this anti-cruelty journey?” “Am I really going to make a difference?” “Whose really gonna give a crap about what I’m doing?” I can go on and on.. but, when this onslaught of negativity filled my mind, I had to put on the mental brakes for a second and answer each question I had for myself:

  1. “What good is going to come from this anti-canine cruelty journey?” My answer: I have no clue. All I can hope for is the best and hopefully something good comes from it.
  2. “Am I really going to make a difference?” My answer: I don’t know. Realistically? Probably not, but then again, if I can change the perspective of one person then I’ve accomplished something. All it takes is one person.
  3. “Whose gonna give a crap about what I’m doing? My answer: More than likely, no one. However, I can’t let that stop me. What really matters is the action I am taking by painting. I don’t care what others think of me and I know people are going to hate me for this but that’s ok. They can hate me all they want. This is me doing my part. It is my passion and I will pour every ounce of my heart and soul in it. People won’t care but that doesn’t mean that I should stop caring about the fight against canine cruelty. I’m just gonna paint until I don’t have to anymore.

After answering these questions, I came to realize that I had no true answers and I was just tormenting myself for no reason. I don’t know what’s going to happen on this journey, all I know is that I just got to paint as much as I can for as long as I need to. This is a life-long mission and I will be prepared for whatever comes my way, good or bad. Let the journey begin…

That’s all for this week! In next week’s post, I’ll give you guys a behind-the-scenes look on how I’m preparing for my first live advocacy painting demo at a local street fest. Cya next time!

I PAINT TO END CANINE CRUELTY.

Hey everyone! Welcome to my blog! My artist name is Heleza and I’m a Canine Advocate Artist on a mission to end canine cruelty through art.

As a mom of 2 precious pitties, it hurts my heart knowing that close to 65% of animal cruelty cases involve dogs and that 1 out of every 4 of those cases involve cruelty against said breed. Society might say it’s a harsh reality but I will no longer accept that as truth. It is time for us to do our part to help put on end to the crisis and I believe art is the key.

DISCLAIMER: Some of my paintings and the stories behind them might be unsettling to view and that’s ok. These works of art are not meant to point fingers at anyone specifically but they WILL shed light on what people do to these sentient beings. If you feel uneasy when viewing my work, just keep in mind that the painting is only exposing the darkness so we can face it head on.

Dogs are wonderful and loving companions deserving of love, respect and kindness. That is why I am dedicating the rest of my life’s journey to bringing awareness to the severity of canine cruelty and to encourage compassion, empathy, and change for these sentient beings through art.

If you you want to help support this mission, please feel free to join the movement and sign up to receive my monthly newsletter where you will receive updates on new artwork, live painting demo locations, give-a-ways, and much more! Thank you for your support and we’ll see you next week!