It is never easy to live a creative life, and I always consider it a sacred event when I see an artist or creative start to stand out and grow.

It’s not easy to do anything worthwhile, but the creative life is the opposite of the life most of us are told we ought to lead.

Nobody ever suggested to Maria or me that we do what we are doing and live how we are living. We don’t have a million dollars stashed away for retirement; we don’t ever plan to retire as long as we can walk and think.

My experience is that if creative people are encouraged and supported early in their careers, they stick with it. Many creatives are warned that they can’t possibly make a living, so they get a day job and never come back.

It is very difficult to give up a weekly paycheck. I haven’t had one for 40 years.

Emily Gold is a friend of Maria’s, and I am happy to be getting to know her and her very distinctive work. I have become a small-time collector and admirer of her beautiful and lively collages.

I can’t wait to see them on her table every Saturday at the market. There is always one I want to take home if I could afford it.

Emily is a member of Maria’s belly dancing troupe, they are not just dancers but also sisters, and their independence and loyalty are touching to see. They are fiercely supporter of one another’s work.

I always see this as something women often naturally do, and men almost never do.

Almost every week, we go to see Emily at the Bennington Farmer’s Market, we buy a kale scone and I often buy a notecard or collage piece. They are all special,  bright, and cheerful, and uplifting.

When I met Emily last year and looked at her website, I saw a creative and successful baker who also did art. More and more, I see her now as an artist who also bakes wonderful scones and muffins and cakes.

She might choose to do both, or might end up as one or another. That’s not my business.

Her art is quite special, she is the real deal, and she now has five people who have signed up to take her online collage class. That makes a huge difference in the life of an artist living in a small house in Vermont.

She loves teaching the class, and people are loving taking it.

She and Maria needed to find one another, and they have.

They trade ideas, talk on the phone, offer honest feedback, trade tips, and information. As close as Maria and I are, this isn’t something I can do for her, or honestly, should.

Yet, in a different way, Emily and I are becoming friends also.

She sent me this card when she heard I had some heart surgery.

She cautioned me not to be a difficult patient. Maria laughed. I suspect she was speaking with someone who is close to me and knows me well.

Emily makes collages, notecards, paper books.

I rarely write much about other artists I know, but one of the things I love about my blog is that the people who read it love to check out creative people and their work. They are viscerally supportive of worthy people, and I try to be sparing in my recommendation.

I’ve gotten the most wonderful feedback from people taking Emily’s one-hour virtual class; it’s the future of art and teaching in many ways what a treat to see her grow. You can see her blog here.