When I was young, aside from reading greedily anything I could get my hands on, I loved to create. Made my first dress from a curtain when I was 8. Was pretty inventive, and was good at most subjects in school until adolescence when my first stepmother's violent physical and worse, emotional abuse, took me from being in the top 5 in most subjects to nowhere. Apparently (and I studied psychology in my 40's), abuse affects your powers of concentration. I had been taught by my Dad (a Chess Master)before the age of 9, how to beat him at chess. So while I can still play chess, I can't keep my mind focused sufficiently more than about 3 moves ahead.
Regardless, I still ended up as one of the most senior and well known women in the music industry particularly in the US and the the UK, and most of the rest of the world. Was the first woman, the youngest person and I believe the first European to be nominated for the ASCAP Board of Directors in 1983 when I was only 34 (10 years earlier I had run Elton's and Bernie's music publishing companies in the UK.
Giving up alcohol after my father's death in 1992, I had a nervous breakdown. The wall between depression, post traumatic stress disorder and panic attacks came down. Li safe became unbearable.
However, as I slowly recovered, I started to paint again. I'd wanted to go to art college from school, where I was top in art, but evil stepmother (yes, the ones you find in fairy tales)wouldn't allow it. So I did jobs that were art related and somehow that landed me in the music industry.
I had great fun and am writing an autobiography about my experience working in the music business boys' club; and am enjoying doing that, as I've always loved writing and reading.
However, art was my first passion and is that now. I chose watercolours because I know that they are the hardest medium to master (my partner, Jason does so - just naturally. It's taken a while to get to where I am now, a lot of practice, and a lot of patience.
Art is rewarding and no matter what you do, you keep on learning. It's also addictive and I'd rather be doing that more than anything else (except for Voice Overs as I'd prefer not to be a starving painter) and I just keep getting better.
My latest piece is 20" x 16" and was commissioned by a really kind and caring man, Michael Peter Dedes of We Focus on Life, who I met when I visited the UK in February/March. It's a serene watercolour and full of mystic and I can honestly say it's the first piece I am really proud of. I learned a huge amount painting it, and Jason helped me when I kept looking at it, and knowing something wasn't quite right, but not what. So take a look if you have time. http://annmunday.fineartstudioonline.com/
