People say it to me all the time these days. "You're on your own journey." "Make your own way." "Don't worry, things will happen for you!"
And it's hard, in our instant-gratification/social-media world, to wait your turn. We see the pretty parts, the cultivated cream of the crop of life, that success seems to come easily or overnight. I've had those moments. Each one of them took a lot of hard work behind the scenes, hours and hours of work or brainstorming or learning.
Coming back to social media, and the internet in general, after a long time away is hard. You see people chatting with each other, or sending care packages and wonder why not me? Which is pretty self-centered, sure! Perhaps it's more I see the total and complete way my life has changed & have taken to sailing my own ship -- always chasing the horizon, sails like dots, dark shadows against a brilliant sun -- and expect people to notice.
But that's the thing about starting on your own journey. People aren't. You just have to have enough faith to go headlong into that uncharted territory and know you'll run into others. Take to the currents of your own dream and allow life to flow.
On Sunday morning, before church, I suddenly had the urge to paint some paper stars I'd prepped way back in the beginning of December. I don't know why, only that, after months of not creating much, I had a fire burning within me again. I went back to those colors I love and got my hands dirty by smudging paint. Time flew.
That evening, after getting home and changing and eating dinner, I finished them off with glitter and hung them up on my chandelier to dry. And there they stay, a tangible reminder of my dreams and that they can be reached. I just had a little bit of a setback is all.
This week, I'm renting some space in a local shop to sell my paintings & whatever else I come up with. This is a HUGE step for me and I'm curating my stack of finished work for the best I can present.
Everyone who walks into the house & sees my studio can't help but smile. It makes people feel happy and there have been some giggles. I'm taking that as a good sign -- that's exactly what an art space should be!
