Doubt in ourselves can sometimes hold us back, but painter and military spouse Sidra Hassan-Brown paints through fears and self-consciousness. Inspired by the strong women in her life, she discovers her own strengths in each piece of art she creates. 

Crafting this follow-up guest post on MilspoFAN was a stellar way to reflect on my creative journey and share some enthusiasm for a hopeful future. Fate bought me a ticket for a two-year-long rollercoaster ride with the crazy pandemic-loop-de-loop that we’re all on, thrown in for free.

My dancing has taken an interesting turn and I must admit that it was unexpected. I am still training with the New Mexico Ballet Company but was unable to perform in their winter and spring performances. NMBC is a company where many of their dancers work during the day and train/rehearse in the evenings.

A.C. Williams is an Army Spouse and dancer who has danced in response to change since her teenage years. She shares how dance can be transformative in positive ways to combat all the ways life attempts to transform us negatively. 

Last year, June 2019 was the best month of my life up to that point. I spent the entire month in France teaching two back-to-back painting workshops, with five days in between for some travel time on my own. I had plans to teach in Italy this September (2020), but have postponed this trip until April/May 2021.

Once in a while, things just "click!" Our July interviewee, photographer Heather K. Purdy, shares with us her beautiful images - forged when a flash of inspiration lights up the studiously honed canvas of her craft. With agility, talent, and hard work Heather has built a business in fine art photography and client portraiture while traveling the globe.

As I sit down at my desk, I can’t help but notice a pile of journals, rehearsal schedules, and other papers that wasn’t here at this time last year. In fact, the desk wasn’t here either – in the living room, right next to our big windows that look out into our neighborhood in Madrid. The same neighborhood that for months recently was the most peaceful that it has probably ever been – ever. For more than a dozen weeks we were only interrupted by noon and eight-o-clock musical interludes, some applause and cheering. Momentary unification with unseen, unknown neighbors. 

Since my guest post last year quite a bit has happened, but funny enough, most of that occurred just earlier this year. The rest of 2019 continued pretty much the same (professionally anyways). I continued working for Navy MWR part-time, as well as with the Army at Ft. Eustis as an on-call photographer photographing events and studio portraits.

Every New Year in lieu of resolutions, I choose a word of intention to use as a theme. In 2020 I chose the word vision. I've dreamt for a long time of starting my own art business and quitting my "real job," but the time never seemed right. Frankly, I was also stymied by fear and self-doubt. Not long ago, my best friend told me she refused to live and make decisions based on fear any longer. It was the inspiration I needed to finally truly focus on my vision. So, you could say since my last MilSpoFAN feature, I've become a serious ARTrepreneur.

I am an ARTIST! I DANCE! I CREATE! No more excuses, no more hiding. Anna Librada Teaching & Performing Artist and Producer is going public. I founded and produce the Hudson Valley Flamenco Festival. I perform. I teach workshops. I organize events where we make paella over an open fire and then feast while watching an intimate flamenco performance akin to the oldest flamenco clubs in Spain. I have a BRAND.

Like many of us, Army spouse and painter Melissa Hedges is finding her new normal in a time with closed galleries. She not letting the restricted access to showings stop her from creating, though. Melissa is setting goals and keeping positive.

I can't believe it's already been a year. it never ceases to amaze me how much can change and what seems like the blink of an eye. Just last month it was no big deal to go to the movies or shopping at the mall or getting to go and teach my kids at school everyday. Now it's so different, and I never thought I would be doing this interview in the midst of some strange times.

“There is something that you are born to do. You can feel it. Maybe you forgot what it was because of where life has taken you, but it’s there…”

Well, a lot has happened since MilspoFAN interviewed me two years ago. I’ve had two new books come out: American Samizdat (Diode, 2019), a collection of poetry about our current political moment, and through smoke (New Rivers Press, 2019), a book-length essay about how I came to fall in love with perfume. I also have another collection of poems, Simple Machines, which won the Richard Wilbur Poetry Award and will be published this year by the University of Evansville Press.