Painting helps me see things differently

A Small part of my "Crater Lake" Painting

Are you an Artist, specifically a Painter? How long have you been Painting? I have been Painting since 2004, I became a professional Artist in 2005. I am a Painting Instructor at the Sherwood Center for the Arts in Sherwood Oregon. I noticed when I started painting, I started really seeing the trees, leaves, branches and more. I started taking notice of the beauty around me. Where I might have commented previously on a beautiful sunny day, I now notice beauty in every day. I think as I painted my mind's eye was on the lookout for new subjects to paint. I soon found myself really noticing the bark on trees or clouds in the sky.
Water has always intrigued me and painting it was more fun than I could have imagined. I am just wondering how many other artists out there have noticed that they literally see things that they have been creating in more detail than before they started creating Art. I really enjoy the fact that it has raised my awareness of the world I live in and the beauty I might have taken for granted before I picked up a paintbrush.
The two trees on the left are a small part of my Two Trees painting. I was inspired to paint the Beautiful bark on the trees. You can check out my art for sale and learn more about Acrylic Painting Lessons  at http://www.dkboljat.com/home.html