This is the real me...

Well, I guess an introduction is in order. For some of you reading this you already know me, but you may be curious as to why HBF Outdoors has gone in a different direction. The truth is, my art is not new. Ever since I was a kid I have been creating through drawing. I'd spend hours in my room drawing the latest comic book heroes. Through high school the one class I excelled in was art. During my senior year my class time consisted of art, advanced art, yearbook photographer, gym, lunch and study hall. But something within me changed between high school and attending art school. That change would cause me to pack away in the depths of my soul my passion and talent for art. I'll spare you the long story and details of what caused it and simply sum it up with this... I allowed what other people thought of me, my art, and what I should do with my life to dictate my decisions. Simply put, I was a people pleaser and I remained a people pleaser for over twenty years.

Over the next twenty plus years my art remained deep inside of me, but I continued to plug ahead doing what I felt others wanted me to do. But when a global pandemic changed everyday life and routine, political tensions rose, and our society became more divided I found myself exploring and searching deep for the things in life that really matter. My artistic identity was pounding on the door begging to be let out. So I dusted off the art supplies, picked up a pencil and sketched out what was in front of me, the woods. Of all the essential items in my backpack my sketchbook and pencils were included. The more I sketched the deeper the desire to create. It became a hunger, a knot would develop in my stomach if I went more than a day without drawing. A sketch a day kept the frustration away.

There are two elements that make up the real me, the outdoors and my art. Combined they are a big part of who I am. I use to think I knew my calling in life, but those were only the voices and noises of others that I chose to listen to rather then listen to my heart. Sometimes a person doesn't discover their true calling in life until later. Here's the thing I've discovered, now later in life at the age of fifty, about finding your calling. How do you know it's your calling? When every fiber within wants to do it regardless of what other people say or think. You will do it anyway no matter the cost. You become so focused and driven that those who are not with you or support you become that blurred object on the side of the road that you don't pay attention to and you keep on driving.

I recently was asked if I regret setting aside my artistic talents for so long and not discovering my true calling until now. I smiled and told them; "No, for me this is the right time because I believe it's based on God's timing." There was a reason why, though it was my decisions, that God has chosen to bring me back to my art. I haven't discovered the full reason yet and that's okay. What I do know, is after all these years I know what I'm meant to do. It doesn't come without it's days or moments of frustration or discouragement. Oh, believe me, it does. This difference is I'm doing what I'm meant to do at this time. The right time.

This is the real me... I'm an outdoorsman and an artist. A guy expressing his love and passion for the outdoors and nature through drawing and painting. Nothing else I used to do matters. 

​