We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anne Trainer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anne below.
Anne , we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I am fortunate to have a family full of strong, resilient women who modeled strength and grace simultaneously. I forged my own version of those qualities when I experienced a brain injury in college that wiped out my functional short term memory. I went from an A average at a competitive school to flunking classes. I had to find a new way to learn, and forgive myself for failing at the same time. I spent four extra years in college, and after graduating, realized I no longer had the skill set I’d relied on my whole life. I made lots of mistakes, lost jobs I’d landed by selling the abilities I no longer had. It took time, but eventually I realized that I was just now meant for a different path. As I have embraced that change, I have found my confidence.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am an artist by trade. That same family that modeled strength for me is full of practicing artists. My grandmother, mother, aunts, uncle, and even a couple of cousins are all accomplished artists. Painting, drawing, and generally finding creative solutions to life’s daily hiccups were all emphasized during my childhood, so being an artist comes naturally.
My career began in high school following a school art class assignment to complete a self-portrait in pencil. I was entralled from the very beginning and felt hooked on graphite drawings from the start. I pursued art throughout high school and college, creating bold, colorful paintings and drawings at scale. I had just gotten an A+ in my first semester of Advanced Painting at the University of Virginia and had all A’s that semester when the bottom fell out. I had a brain hemmorhage the following spring that wiped out my short term memory, and killed any interest I had in art. I flunked academic classes, and though I could still draw and paint skillfully, I no longer had the patience to focus on it. Where it had given me solace before, it now made me uneasy.
I took a 10 year hiatus. Then started to dabble again. After having the first 2 of my 3 children, my youngest son told me at the age of 4 that I was much nicer after I painted. Out of the mouths of babes!
I have continued painting ever since.
I paint in watercolor, oil, and acrylic, moved by the beauty of contrasting colors, refections and vibrant connections. I focus mostly on landscapes, florals, and recently, football helmets! We have three sons who all play sports. When this year’s football team was undefeated heading into the state championship, I decided to paint a few school helmets for their art show. They sold like hotcakes and I returned home with commissions for many more. It was a case of good timing!
I now book commissions for home portraits, helmets and anything else clients want to see in their homes. I work to capture the essence of a scene in order to transport the viewer back to that time and space. I am providing a touchstone for their lives that opens a window to important memories, triggers memories of places they love, and a provides soft spot to rest in the incredible busy-ness of modern life.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Patience – there will always be events or issues that throw you off course. Little ones and big ones. Know that a solution will present itself and that you can probably solve it if you just keep at it. If not, pivot and make a better situation out of a tough one.
Gratitude – there is grace available to all of us. Being thankful for what I have, even when circumstances are hard, reminds me to lighten up and give myself a break.
Resilience / belief in myself – I would have quit a thousand times along the way if I did not believe, in my core, that I could find a path through the hard parts. I trusted my strength and believed I was capable enough to meet any challenge. Support and encouragement from those around us goes a long way!
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
I am fortunate in that many doors were closed to me. That seems counter-intuitive, but in my unique case, there are many organizational things I’m just not good at anymore, and my path has shown me repeatedly what those things are. As I realized corporate work was, and is, beyond my scope, I felt in my bones that creativity would fill that void.
The other side of that coin is that I’ve discovered the things that I AM good at. Luckily for me, those things also fill me up and bring me great joy, Creating art that communicates love and joy, beauty and solace gives me a feeling of peace I don’t find in other areas of my life. What a gift!
I’m looking forward to participating in more local and regional shows as my children mature and take the reins of their own lives over the next 10 years. My goal now is to continue building a strong foundation for my practice, and to step boldly into showing my art in bigger venues. I have felt anxious about that in the past, but know that taking a leap of faith will carry me in the right direction.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.annetrainer.com
- Instagram: traineranne
- Facebook: Anne Trainer Designs — www.facebook.com/AnneTrainerDesigns
