When Diane and I talked about what gives art meaning, she spoke about the intention and heart behind a piece of artwork. “It’s something that evokes an emotion,” she said. “It doesn’t smack you in the face but pulls an emotion out of you. You look at it, and you feel something.”

Over ten years ago, I saw Diane’s collected work for the first time at a holiday bazaar where she had a table. I touched one of her challah covers, appreciating the softness of the silk, the richness of the color, and the intricacy of the design. I was struck on a visceral level, not because the piece was pretty, but because there was a depth to it that reached deep inside me. If that’s not art, then I don’t know what is.

Have you ever been told that your creative endeavors are not art? That you are just a hobbyist? If I’ve learned anything from Diane, it is this—don’t let other people decide whether you are an artist. And as Diane says, “keep going with your passions.”