The other day, I was routinely checking my email when I noticed one from a lady named Linda. I opened it up to find this message:
Dear Dessie-
I’m a friend of Shelly Hiebert’s, from Bequia in the West Indies. And the person who she gave Hidden in Plain Sight to. It’s beautiful, and was the perfect gift for me. We have a cabin in northern Ontario. No electricity..just a cabin on a lake with a propane fridge, stove, and a scattering of propane lights. Since the children were little, I’ve taught them that the dragonflies are precious and our friends. At one end of our lake is an area filled with water lilies. The kids used to call it Lily Nation, and we’d kayak through the pads, with numerous dragon flies keeping us company.
So you can imagine what your amazing piece means to all of us. My kids are grown now, but both lily pads and dragonflies hold dear places in our hearts.
Here’s a pic of where your piece is hanging in the cabin. Thank you for making it. I’m proud to be its owner!
-Linda
As I read the email, sitting in a lakeside cabin myself on the other side of Canada, a huge smile spread across my face. This story is the very manifestation of why I was able to bring myself to start selling my art in the first place. As we all know, art is a very personal thing for many artists, and each creation is like a child to us. It is much easier to say goodbye to a piece when it can be felt that the person recieving it has that same love for it. In the case of art being bought as a gift for another, one can never be sure that the recipient will truly love it and there is a certain amount of trepidation involved.
Finding out that on top of enjoying the piece, there was also such a deep connection and meaning to it for Linda and her family, was a huge and instant cause for joy and celebration. In that moment I felt the essence of what art is about for me. It isn't about prestige or glory, fortune or fame, or even being the best and first at what I do (although nobody would complain about these things!)--it is about creating something that sparks a repeating cycle of joy and meaning to myself and others. It is a unifying force; and one that reminds us of our intrinsic connection with nature.
I will be forever grateful that Linda took the time to share that story and picture with me. That one simple act was the source of much joy and meaning in my life. It cemented in me the drive to keep creating, more than any amount of money could. Thank you Linda, and to Shelly for making it all happen. <3