anitaberglund

These things are never easy, writing about yourself! So I hope this isn't boring. I assume if you are reading this you want to know a little about me.

My husband and I live in Northwestern Ontario, Canada where winters are winters and summers are summers. We have been married for over nine years and both of us love Jesus Christ and all that He is. Joy, peace and love are but a sampling of what He has put in my heart. Because of Him, I am still here and feel that it is my honour to be able to share anything and everything about who I am and why.

I love art and all things creative. As a primarily self taught artist, I have learned a lot from observing other artists and most of all from children. Children are a blessing and to be able to watch them express themselves creatively, warms my heart like nothing else on earth. (of course my husband warms my heart as well :-)

It was during my "Arts Administration" years, that I gained more experience in the field of art education while working at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery. Teaching cartooning, art projects and working with students and adults, researching, and assisting with gallery tours, were just a few of the great experiences.

As a part of the Arts Administration program at our local college, we had to commit to two internships that were sixteen weeks long. Aside from the one mentioned above that resulted in an employment contract, my first year internship was at Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet. The Arts Admin. program covered all aspects of the business side of the arts. Living in Winnipeg for four months was one of the best opportunities of my life. It was incredible working behind the scenes with the best ballet company ever! My heart at the time was in marketing but I guess due to lack of need, my internship was with the Fundraising department. If ever we needed a lift in the office, there was a viewing gallery right out the door where we could watch the dancers rehearse a floor or two below. Definitely, a once in a life time experience.

Since Arts Administration was a compromise that was made in regard to my post-secondary education, inevitably, my heart longed to create art rather than manage it. My AA career was brief but memorable and I slipped back into my life as an artist, just like a comfy old shoe.

If you read my hub, you will read that creating was all I ever wanted to do but, due to lack of wheelchair accessibility, I was unable to register in our local University out of high school so that meant I had continued on as a self taught artist. Thankfully, by my early thirties the University built a new facility and finally, I was able to enrol in the Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree program. Gained more invaluable experience and honed my artistry. No, I didn't complete the program for a variety of reasons but, having the opportunity to finally receive some professional art instruction was very rewarding.

Not only have I been blessed with being able to paint and draw using a variety of media, as a bonus my application for a New Works Grant with the Ontario Arts Council, was accepted. That commitment resulted with the completion of twenty new paintings, hence the "New Works" title. Since then, a few years have passed and my creative life has taken a one hundred and eighty degree turn. As things happen in my life, out of one of my ADHD (I neglected to mention, that I received that diagnosis about five years ago) moments, thanks to a little girl I didn't want to let down, I found myself online ordering jewellery making supplies and declaring to my husband, "Craig, I am going to start making jewellery and selling it!" He knows not to smile and nod and voila! I discovered a new form of creativity, jewellery design. Within a year, I opened an online shop at etsy.com and my new "hobby" has flourished into a self sustaining hobby.

If you have ever ran an online shop you know that it takes hours and hours just photographing your product and listing each item, one by one. Then there is the processing of the orders. Bottom line, not much time for painting these days. To some, it is apparently disappointing. In fact, a special eleven year old gal in my life pleads with me, to ditch the jewellery making and get back to painting! So far, it hasn't happened. However, since the jewellery creation thing began because I didn't want to let a little girl down, the question is, will I let this one down? (Did I tell you that the two are sisters!)

Well, here I am fourty-four on the cusp of my fourty-fifth birthday and life is never a drag. I may spend my winters hibernating, (literally, I do) using all of indoor time to create and write things like this, but to me, it is never boring.

One more note, that is a part of my "bio" - I have been living with a neuromuscular disorder since I was born called Spinal Muscular Atrophy type 3. It has meant progressive changes in my mobility. Once I walked and now I can't raise my arms or stand up. For me, SMA is a blessing. There are many who would say otherwise, but having wheels for legs gives me a view of the world, that I would not have had otherwise. This is another aspect of my multi-faceted life that I believe God wants me to share with anyone who will listen. Not because I have anything useful to say, but because I know He causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him.

That's it, thank you for stopping by!

Anita Berglund

As long as I can create something, I am at "home." If you want to see what I have been working on, check out my online store at www.abergiecreation.etsy.com

Just Blogging around: http://surehopegazette.blogspot.com/

http://1roadoneway.blogspot.com/

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