One Christmas, a long time ago when my oldest nieces were still little, I painted an old suitcase and filled it with old prom dresses and costume jewelry, creating for them a Dress-Up Box.  Looking back, I wish I had thrown in a doctor’s coat, a stethoscope, an artist’s palette.. options to dress up in more than just pretty dresses.  But we love to fantasize about who we could be, to dress ourselves up in costumes that, at least visually, transform us.

There is that old adage, “dress for the job you want, not for the job you have“.  The costumes we put on have a way of sometimes transforming us from the outside in.  We feel fancy when we put on a fancy dress, we feel powerful and in control in a suit.  There have been a few stereotypical artist ensembles like the dark, all black, beret-wearing brooder and the wild hair, layered boho hippie look.  But my wardrobe, like most artists, lies somewhere in between.  I sometimes think if I could start over, if I could overhaul my wardrobe to perfectly reflect how I want to be seen as an artist, will I then feel like the real deal?  But I know it won’t work.  It is still a costume.  I feel like the real deal when I pour out my heart on a canvas, no matter what the outfit.

Paintings featured are by Pennsylvania artist Adrienne Stein.  To see more of Adrienne’s work, please visit her website.

All images are via the artist’s website.