Gwenn Seemel and the Art of Generosity

Gwenn Seemel is an American French artist, author, blogger, muralist, speaker, activist and one of my favorite vloggers on the interwebs. (I've written before about her beautiful work HERE and HERE.) She also rocked a TED Talk this year in Geneva! Frankly, she's a creative badass.

In a world where artists tend to be lone wolves, working away in their studios, Gwenn is a social creature. Her work is portraiture, which means she is in relationship to people all of the time. She generously shares her thoughts on art business, practice, copyright and social justice via her blog. It takes a Hurculean amount of energy and focus to articulate oneself as clearly and consistently as does Gwenn. Gwenn's abundant and prolific mind is on full display for her followers. I consider this an act of extreme generosity. I am continually in awe.

Gwenn recently began using Patreon for her work as an artist and blogger. I had been very interested in using Patreon as a platform for interacting in a more intimate way with my own audience, so I was thrilled to see Gwenn trying it out. She tends to be the first person out on the ledge - living out loud and trusting her own innate gifts of audacity, creativity and ambition. Am I a follower of hers? Hell yes, I am. She has inspired me for years. I'm also one of her patrons on Patreon.

So, I was delighted when Gwenn created a 5x5 portrait of a Heron (my spirit animal) as a thank you for becoming a patron! It arrived in the mail, along with some beautifully printed literature about her work. I had it framed last week. Check out this mini masterpiece in ink and highlighter!

In addition to the Heron, Gwenn has been hosting contests for her patrons. For every dollar pledged, her patrons get a ticket in the hat to win original pieces of art. Last week, my name was drawn and now this magical squirrel is mine! Gwenn, I cannot thank you enough. You are a light in the art world.