Answering the Call: Acting on Your Call for Creativity and Self-Expression

A couple of weeks ago, I shared a quote and wrote about the importance of making time for yourself and your creativity. (You can find that post here.)

" I've seen women insist on cleaning everything in the house before they could sit down to write...and you know it's a funny thing about housecleaning...it never comes to an end. Perfect way to stop a woman. A woman must be careful to not allow over-responsibility (or over-respectability) to steal her necessary creative rests, riffs, and raptures. She simply must put her foot down and say no to half of what she believes she "should" be doing. Art is not meant to be created in stolen moments only." - Clarissa Pinkola Estes

While I wholeheartedly believe in this practice, I also believe in the stolen moments. If I'm honest, many of my self-portraits have been created in those very brief moments over the years. When inspiration hits me, I have an undeniable urge to act. I've never been known for my patience. Along with many of my ideas or visions for self-portraits comes a great sense of urgency.

I understand that acting on this urgency and rushing through creating something with limited time can lead to sloppiness. It could limit me and hold me back from producing my best work. Or maybe I thrive in that type of setting?

Working in these stolen moments has given me an abundant amount of experience over the years. It has allowed me to work in all types of lighting and weather situations during various times of the day. It has helped me find ways to make the best use of small and limited spaces. It has required me to both think and act fast. Have I set myself up for failure this way? I've definitely had my fair share of failed attempts at bringing a vision to life. But more times than not, I have learned something new and created something unexpected out of each brief experience.

My needs for the process of creation and self-expression strongly outweigh the desired outcome. It is with this open mind-frame that I find my best work. For example, by closing myself off to the ideas of creating in harsh light or in the late evening when the sunlight has faded, I would be limiting myself and my creative process. Creating gives me a sense of freedom and to put limitations on that seems detrimental to me.

I was able to shoot this self-portrait in under 15 minutes over the weekend. That even included the time for me to go back and forth in my mind, questioning if I could pull it off. By sneaking in this creative moment, I was able to appease the sense of urgency and fill my creativity cup. The most challenging thing about this was waiting until Monday to share it!

So while I 100% believe in making time for yourself, I also hold a high value on the stolen moments. It's those 15 minutes before the school bus is due to arrive, the 10 minutes while you're waiting for that pot of water to boil, the moments right before the rain approaches. You'd be surprised at what you can accomplish in such a restricted and limited time.

How do you prefer to create? Do you time out and plan for that perfect moment? Or do you do it more on a whim?

The next time inspiration hits you, act on it. Don't wait!

** Sharon Covert is a teacher and mentor at The Define School. Sharon's courses, Expressive Self Portraiture and The Art of Authenticity are both available through The Define School. For more information email Sharon at sharoncovertphotography@gmail.com or visit The Define School by clicking this link. You can sign up for Sharon’s newsletter HERE to stay up to date and receive a bonus black and white editing video.

Embracing Your Weirdness: Finding and Using Your Voice in Photography

If I allowed my fears and worries to control me, I would never share the art I dream up and make. I'd still create it, but setting it free would be another story. When I first began exploring photography, I took a cookie-cutter approach. It was the time of Photoshop actions, color, sun flare, over-exposed images, and *gasp* selective color. The thing to do was use your children as little models, dress them up, throw in some props from time to time, and call yourself a photographer. I did what I thought I needed to do to earn the title, Photographer.

The thing is, that's not me.

That's not who I am.

I wasn't making art when I was mimicking others and trying to fit in. With that said, I needed to go through that process. I needed to recognize and learn that making that type of work didn't light me up. Taking pictures of other families was great practice for me, but it made me question if this is really what I want to do and how I want it to be.

The answer was a loud and resounding, NO.

When I began to show up unapologetically in my art, I found my voice. When I decided I wouldn't allow myself to be defined or swayed by societal pressure, I found my freedom. It's easy to fall into the trap of being small to avoid judgment from others. But there is no growth in that. If you approach your work with an open mind and open heart, you can expect to expand and grow as an artist.

I encourage you to tend to the next idea that pops into your mind. That little spark of inspiration is trying to tell you something. It's trying to show you pieces of you. Create the world in your dreams. Don't let fear stop you!

Embrace your inner weirdness. Everyone is a judge! So what?!

I found my inspiration for these self-portraits in a deck of Tarot cards. It came to me instantly in a flash, and I knew I couldn't let it go. I needed to bring it to life.

What is the oddest thing that has inspired you? Share in the comments below!

** Sharon Covert is a teacher and mentor at The Define School. Sharon's courses, Expressive Self Portraiture and The Art of Authenticity are both available through The Define School. For more information email Sharon at sharoncovertphotography@gmail.com or visit The Define School by clicking this link. You can sign up for Sharon’s newsletter HERE to stay up to date and receive a bonus black and white editing video.

Art as Voice: Should You Let Your Photography Speak for Itself?

Art speaks for itself. Or does it? This belief depends mostly on the expected outcome. This false belief is the misconception I have fallen under for the last several years as an artist trying to make a career.

In my earlier years of self-portraiture, I was using my images as my voice. I processed all of my feelings, emotions, and thoughts through this practice. I shared the pictures with the world to lift a heavy weight off of my chest.

I let the work speak for itself.

Were there people who connected with my self-portraits?

Yes.

But I'm sure more viewers were left confused and wanting to know more.

Sometimes I would drop the images with absolutely no context and run and hide. Other times I would add a quote that I found online. Eventually, I began writing haikus to accompany the pictures.

Once I began getting my work into galleries, I learned the importance of titling my work. For far too long, I believed a title was enough. And sure, a title is enough for a gallery and its audience. But what if a viewer wants to know more about the artist? They visit their website and find what?

With mine, they found the images with their titles, and nothing more.

Here I was seeking connection and community, yet I wasn't contributing. Part of the reason was because of false beliefs I had conjured up about not being enough or worthy. There was a fear of my voice, words, and opinions not being needed. There's enough of that out there already.

I'll drop my art right here and be on my way.

I didn't educate myself on the importance of building these connections and communities of support through email lists, newsletters, blogging, and sharing more of myself than just a self-portrait.

So while I do believe that there are a time and place for art to speak for itself, that's not what I want to practice right now. What I want to practice is sharing authentically with you, because that is of the utmost importance to me.

With that said, what is it that you would like from me? What can I offer you? Leave a comment or email me at sharoncovertphotography@gmail.com and let me know the type of content you'd like most from me and how I can best serve you.

* Sharon Covert is a teacher and mentor at The Define School. Sharon's courses, Expressive Self Portraiture and The Art of Authenticity are both available through The Define School. For more information email Sharon at sharoncovertphotography@gmail.com or visit The Define School by clicking this link. You can sign up for Sharon’s newsletter HERE to stay up to date and receive a bonus black and white editing video.

Art is Subjective: Moving Past the Opinions and Judgments of Others

Something that comes up often when I'm teaching my Expressive Self Portraiture class is the fear of being judged by your audience, family, and friends for creating new work.

This is the part where I want to insert EFF that!

I'm passionate about encouraging women to share their art, themselves, their voices. To think that we would even hesitate on sharing pieces of ourselves in this way is absurd to me.

Are we not allowed to learn to love ourselves?

Are we selfish to think that we matter?

Are we not worthy of support in our self-exploration?

These women have such a strong desire and fire lit inside of them to make this type of healing and profound work, yet hold back in fear.

Fear of the opinions, sometimes ridicules, of their parents, brothers, sisters, children, best friends, husbands, wives, colleagues, employers, local acquaintances, and so on.

I've been there.

Instead, we hold back. We create private accounts. We share with an online audience that we will most likely never meet in real life. We seek support and acceptance from strangers. Online communities are formed for human connection. We create work that never gets shared.

Hush 2016

This fear of judgment has been a great struggle of mine, especially in my earlier years of self-portraiture. I've had jokes made to my face about my work with masks. I've had comments publically made asking me if I'm okay.

"Are you okay? Do you need to talk to someone?"

I deleted that one out of sheer embarrassment.

Should I worry about sharing this image because I'm a mother and the other mothers out there may see it? What will they think of me? Is too much of my skin showing even though that's not my intention? Should I feel ashamed for being me and expressing myself in a way that feels best for me?

Lament

What I have come to learn is this.

Art is subjective.

You are going to have people who can read your art like an open book, and you will have others who will see it as a foreign language.

And that's okay.

I've treated it as a learning lesson over the years, and I've made it my mission to support other women who are on similar journies. Because I know they are more than just a daughter, or a wife, or a mother, or a lawyer, or a doctor, or a college drop-out. They have stories, feelings, and desires to explore and express. They want to feel something. They want to find themselves. Be themselves. They are light and love. They are powerful. They are artists.

Not everyone is going to understand your art. But regardless, it belongs to you, and it's your story to share.

You own it.

Art is meant to stir up emotions, and sometimes, those are feelings of uncomfortableness in the viewer. It may bring up the viewers own insecurities, jealousy, or embarrassment and shame.

We all see things differently. That's the beauty of it all. Don't let that be the thing that prevents you from what you're being called to explore and create. What once seemed like a foreign concept to me, is now the very tool I use for self-expression. Self-expression has been the one thing that helps set me free from the inner critic.

Don't censor yourself.

2015

You are worth it. Your voice is worth being heard. Your story is remarkable, and just because not everyone will connect with it, doesn't mean you should bury it.

To all of you brave Artists out there, I see you. I support you. I honor your work and the journey that got you here.

I admire your courage.

Keep creating and sharing with the world.

We need your story.

* Sharon Covert is a teacher and mentor at The Define School. Sharon's courses, Expressive Self Portraiture and The Art of Authenticity are both available through The Define School. For more information email Sharon at sharoncovertphotography@gmail.com or visit The Define School by clicking this link.

Make Bad Art: Letting Go of Perfectionism and Creating With the Intention of Growth

I once came across the phrase, " Perfectionism is another form of procrastination." It took some time and thought for me to wrap my brain around that concept. It's not always easy to admit you're guilty of such things.

How often do we wait for the time to be right before we begin something? What does that even mean? How will we know that the right time is upon us unless we start the work now? Chances are, if we keep waiting for the perfect time, it may never come. We'll always find something in the way.

While we are on the topic of time, how often do you find yourself saying that you have none? Time is what you make of it. Time is always available to us. It's just a matter of what you prioritize. Stating you have none is yet another form of procrastination. I will be the first to admit that I have been guilty of saying this.

We cannot learn something new, let alone master it unless we begin. We need to be okay with being a beginner sometimes. We have to be willing to take the leap or even to take baby steps to make progress. Sometimes, this means making bad art.

I've had my fair share of what I consider to be bad art. My time as an artist consists of much trial and error, and a healthy dose of mistakes and failures. I wouldn't be creating the work I make today had I not been okay with letting go of the outcome and failing.

If you're feeling a pull towards learning or creating something new, I urge you to go for it. Don't wait until you have the perfect camera or the right lens or ideal lighting. I've come across this time and time again and especially while teaching my Expressive Self Portraiture class.

Many women are scared of this class. They can't bring themselves to begin because they fear the judgment of others, they need to lose weight first, or grow out a bad haircut, or find the perfect location, or learn to forgive and love themselves. Whatever that thing is, it is only holding you back from growing. Those things will come in time, but first, you have to make lousy pictures.

Allow me to share a piece of my timeline so you can see my progression.

The year is 2014 and I was newly exploring self-portraiture. That reflection you see in the piano? Everyone loved that. It was sheer luck and completely unplanned. I had no idea of what I was doing. I had no vision for this self-portrait. I just knew that I liked to play the piano and I liked photography.

Another self-portrait from 2014. I began experimenting with slow shutter speeds and garage light.

In 2015 I began to explore a more conceptual route with my self-portraits. This was one of my first attempts at some type of a levitating image. I was laying down on my piano bench and was stiff as a board! I still had no message, but I was allowing myself to try new things.

Another from 2015 where I first began experimenting with tulle and the window light in my small spare room. It’s a tight, small space and I was on the floor for this image. I was beginning to find ways to express and process grief.

In 2016 I began using vintage dresses and masks. I was looking for ways to portray characters and express my story.

2016- This was the day the rabbit mask arrived. I had no plan or idea of what I would use it for. I put it on and was immediately transformed and inspired to take this self-portrait as a test shot. It became a signature image of mine and it was born out of a test shot. Imagine if I had waited for an idea or an ideal moment to use this mask?

I created this all time favorite image. Before this image came to be, I experimented with making clouds and really terrible images.

Here is one of the failures! With this failure, I knew I was on to something.

2016 was one of my most creative and experimental years. This was a long exposure I made and titled it “Turn Your Back on Me”.

2017 came and I bought a wig at the Halloween shop. It was another way to add anonymity to my self-portraits. By this time I had my black and white editing down.

2017 and one of my all time favorite self-portraits to date. I won a giveaway for a dress that belonged to Brooke Shaden. It was torn and tattered and I wasn’t sure how I could possibly use it. Then I made this in my back yard, and got poison ivy from the shoot.

In 2018 I slowed down and became creative in other ways such as writing, yoga, and health.

I created with more intention in 2018 whereas the years leading up to that I created anything and everything.

2019 brought a new camera and with that, a learning curve. I went from a Canon 5D Mark III to a Sony a7r III with one lens.

In 2019 I have put more thought and care into each self-portrait.

2019

These are just a small sampling of my growth over the years. There are thousands of images in between these.

Thousands.

The moral of the story is just to do it. Allow the time, space, and practice for your growth. Allow for mistakes, failures, mishaps, and pleasant surprises along the way. Most of us are not prodigies at our craft. We earn it, the hard way.

* Sharon Covert is a teacher and mentor at The Define School. Sharon's courses, Expressive Self Portraiture and The Art of Authenticity are both available through The Define School. For more information email Sharon at sharoncovertphotography@gmail.com or visit The Define School by clicking this link.

How Do You Show Up Authentically in Your Art?

What does showing up unapologetically in your art mean to you?
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For me, it means showing up scared and doing it anyway.
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It means showing up in all of your brokenness.
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It means creating the very things that light you up the most even if it doesn’t align with others.
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It means making mistakes and failing.
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It means being vulnerable.
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It means being present in the moment of creation.
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It means breaking down all of the walls you have learned to build up in order to protect yourself.
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It means being raw.
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Visceral.
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Free.
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The list goes on, but really, I’d love to know what it means for you. ♥️
🌙 Let the Light In🌙

The New Define School Membership Program is OPEN!

Why do so many of us hold back, dial down or even conceal who we really are? Why do we place a higher value on the opinions and judgments of others over our very own?

Imagine the freedom of just being you, creating for you, not editing your life for others.

Create the work that calls to you. Write the words that your soul whispers into your ear. Listen to your Self.

I used one of @alienskinsoftware ‘s light overlays for this self-portrait. Even though it was taken outside I decided to make the background black and remove all distractions.

What have you made lately that’s calling to be shared? Don’t hold back. Don’t allow yourself to become small. Share and support others who do the same, and encourage those who are hesitant.

@thedefineschool ‘s teachers helped shape who I am as an artist today and now I get to do the same work. How grateful am I?! Their new membership program is officially OPEN. Will you be joining? Message me if you do and I’ll see you there!

Your Relationship With Self and Art

What’s your relationship with yourself like? What about with your art?
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I work on my relationship with myself every morning when I step onto my yoga mat, every time I put pencil to paper (yes, I prefer to hand write everything and with pencil ✏️ 🙂), every time I make the conscious choice to put the time in to nourish my body and not choose the opposite, every time I pick up or listen to a book, every online class I take to further educate myself (we can never stop learning), and in so many other ways.
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The other night I shared a little BTS video in my Instagram Stories of me setting up for a self-portrait in my backyard. It was completely impromptu. I had gone outside with Linhsey (my daughter) while she played hockey in the driveway, but the fading light and woods whispered for me to come.
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I obliged.
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While I didn’t create anything magical, I embodied and relished myself in the process. I spent so much thought and time in the winter pondering why I wasn’t out there creating as much. The cold and snow had never stopped me in the past. Now I see I just needed to lean in and trust in the process. It may call at the oddest of times, or lie dormant for quite some time. I just need to trust that whatever I’m meant to create, I will.
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I needed to go through this process the other night of feeling that spark of inspiration, setting up, making the images, and taking it all down again. It’s within that process that my relationship to self grows the most.
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What about you?

Self Doubt

I quit 100 times a day. I quit and then I talk myself down and start once again. Every. Single. Day.
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What do I have to offer? I’m not qualified to do this. Maybe this is just an expensive hobby. Maybe I’m not meant to make a living from this. Maybe I’m missing the whole point. What is my purpose? Maybe I’m too busy trying to make this work that I’m actually missing out on enjoying my so-called “gift” to the fullest potential. Maybe I’ve lost sight of my passion and my true WHY as to why I actually do this.
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And just like that, for every negative I miraculously find a positive. This is my calling. This is my voice. Everything I’ve gone through has led me straight to this. There is nothing more fulfilling than creating, teaching, sharing what I know, supporting like-minded women, forging these intimate bonds in such a short period of time, inviting women to this safe space and earning their trust, supporting them, lifting them up, gathering in such a sacred space to let it all go and create with wild and reckless abandon. All of the masks fall away, the false beliefs and stories we convinced ourselves of no longer hold any truths, and we’re left with beautiful raw honesty in its purest form. In our vulnerability we find our strength.
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My most recent block of Expressive Self Portraiture is wrapping up this week. To all of the women who trusted in me past and present, I thank you, wholeheartedly. Thank for you showing up with open minds, open hearts, willing to do the work, in all of your brave fierceness and honesty. ♥️

Shedding What No Longer Serves Me

Shedding What No Longer Serves Me {Self-Portrait}
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I am a work in progress. Ever-evolving. Ever-changing. I wax and wane like the moon. Ebbing and flowing with the tide.
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Let the wind dry up these old wounds that resurface. Let me learn the lessons they teach and apply the wisdom in my life so that I may lead by example.
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Sometimes I forget my own lessons that I teach others. Yesterday, while feeling rather slump-ish, it dawned on me that I have been avoiding creating- as I am waiting for the “perfect” time. The time is now. Now is the time. The weather is cold. The weather is windy. My fingers were instantly numb of all feeling, but in that moment I was reminded of what it feels like to be alive.
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This. Is. Everything.
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Be well my friends. Stay kind to yourself and others. And nurture yourself by creating, for not only will that breathe new life into you, it will help others as well. ♥️

Layers of Protection

These layers of protection, like an iron wall built to surround me. I must ask myself, who is it that I am really hiding from?
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Layers of Protection {Self-Portrait}

Expressive Self Portraiture

In our vulnerability we will find strength. Oftentimes I find that the scarier something is for me, the more I need to do it. Many of my self-portraits are proof of my scars. I used to hide in fear of judgment, but I have learned that the more I reveal and share my scars, the more it helps others and inspires them to do the same.
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Expressive Self Portraiture is open for registration through @thedefineschool. Classes begin 2/18/19. I keep my class size small to ensure feelings of safety, trust, and to provide a mentorship based experience for all students. I’m active and available throughout the entire 4 weeks and beyond.
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I truly hope you’ll join me! Feel free to email me with any questions. sharoncovertphotography@gmail.com

The link to learn more or sign up is HERE !

Registration is OPEN!!!

Wanted: Creative, emotional Artist seeking her tribe of like-minded Artists.
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My Belief: I believe in creating for self-love, self-awareness, self-discovery, self-reflection, self-guidance, self-healing and introspection. My core belief is that by practicing these things you will become a better person to serve those around you.
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Have you ever been moved by someone else’s art? Have you ever felt connected in some way to another’s magic?
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We, as Artists, are healers.
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My 4 week interactive mentorship based course, Expressive Self Portraiture, through The Define School is now OPEN for registration! We will spend 4 weeks online together learning and practicing the tools I give you for creating art for yourself. You will learn how to think outside the box and bring your inner stories to life in a healing and expressive way. In this course I share everything. I hold nothing back.
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Answer the call and join me by clicking the link in my bio. 
I’m so damn excited for this! ♥️
Class begins February 18, 2019!
https://www.thedefineschool.com/…/expressive-self-portrait…/

The Story Behind the Image

I used a long exposure to create this self-portrait in September of 2016.
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I had reached a point in my life where I almost felt I was in two places at once.
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Part of me was coming out of this dark place I had been in for what felt like so long.
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I could separate myself from that place and look back at that version of me, and to be quite honest, I wasn’t sure what this newer version of me was all about yet.
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As humans we tend to stay with what feels safe, even if that “safe” isn’t good for us.
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I almost felt as if I were turning my back on myself, which is what led to the concept of this self-portrait.
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You guys, there is one thing I will attest to and that is this-
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Art heals.
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My hope and wish for you is that you allow yourselves the freedom to explore, play, create, make mistakes and know that it’s completely fine.
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Let go of any judgments you have towards your work or yourself. That’s only going to weigh you down and hold you back from all of the greatness that is YOU.

What Lights You Up?

Teaching has been a part of my life since I was 17 years old.

I started teaching piano lessons to children when I was straight out of high school. It was such a fun and rewarding time.

When I had my son at 22 I remember some of the parents would ask me to bring him to the lessons so they could hold him and play with him.

Shortly after my daughter arrived I set piano lessons aside and picked up a camera. I quickly developed a passion to learn more and be a photographer.

It took me YEARS to say aloud that I was a photographer. Piano teacher was all I knew. Who was I to call myself a photographer yet alone an artist?!
Now, my teaching continues. I made my dream come true and I teach at The Define School.

But here’s the thing....those children that I taught piano lessons to? They taught me just as much.

The women who have taken my Expressive Self Portraiture class? They have taught me just as much.

Not only that, but they have touched my heart and left an impact on me that’s almost indescribable.

Teaching lights me up. What lights you up?

Hi! I'm Sharon Covert

Hi, I’m Sharon Covert! For years I lived under this false belief that you could get to know me through my art alone.

I allowed fear to control what I shared.

I allowed fear to censor my words, my truth.

Fear of judgment. Fear of not being understood. Fear of not being liked.

I hesitated on sharing the good things that have come my way. The things I have worked hard for, all in fear that you would think I’m bragging or being show-offy. I made that word up, but it fits.

I held back my WHY, my reason why I began experimenting with self-portraiture.

All in fear.

This year the one sentence that has come up the most for me in my journal is this-

Lead by example.

It’s small yet profound, and I plan to do just that, for me, my children, my family and friends, and you. I can’t possibly be the only one who has experienced these feelings.
And while I may be writing more for YOU to get to know ME better, I also want to get to know you better. Has anyone else experienced similar thoughts and feelings when it comes to your art and social media?

If you made it this far, thank you, and it’s nice to meet you!

Myths, Legends, and Dreams - PhotoPlace Gallery, VT

I'm pleased to announce that my self-portrait, Artio, will be in the upcoming Myths, Legends, and Dreams exhibition at the PhotoPlace Gallery in Middleburg, Vermont. The exhibition will open on March 7, 2018 and run through March 31, 2018. If anyone is in the area, I'd love for you to stop by and check it out!