"Fortune favors the bold" is a very old Latin proverb. Wikipedia gives one example of its use in 151 BC and it still rings true today.  "Fortune favors the bold brush" is a more recent, artist-targeted version of the proverb that has become the motto of the umbrella company that runs the FASO (Fine Art Studios Online) website provider that has been so useful to me. They even named their company BoldBrush. I like the proverb in either form. Artists traditionally struggle with self-doubt and tend to hesitate to create what they really want to create, to show their art publicly, to allow it to be judged and/or to price it appropriately. The proverb is a daily reminder to me that it is ok to take risks in all of these areas.   As part of their efforts to give ever-expanding exposure to their artists, another branch of the BosdBrush organization runs monthly online art contests. It took me a while to get up the courage to enter, but I shared a while back that my "Pink Thistle with Bee" won their Outstanding Digital award. Since then, I have received the same award for "Cactus Fruit". Disclaimer (to keep me from getting a big head): they get thousands of entries every month, but I suspect that most are traditional media and that the digital field is easier to win because it has a little less competition. They also have a smaller monthly contest on Instagram. If you are an artist, you can make one free entry a month in each contest and point the viewers back to your website or social media. (Feel free to share this with your artist friends. I don't get a kickback, I just get a kick out of more artists making more connections with the people who may love their work.)   Or maybe you are more of an art-hungry viewer yourself. The current and past contest entries or winners can be easily found by searching Google or Instagram for BoldBrush. Scrolling through the new entries can be kind of soothing after a hectic day.   So, all of this is to see if anyone thinks I should give you-all a heads-up when I enter contests. Are you interested in knowing that I entered the four paintings above in the big July contest? Or that I put the watercolor peaches in the June Instagram contest?  And, more interestingly, how has fortune favored boldness in your life? Boldly yours, Nan