Following your dreams

If any of you, who for a second, wished he/she could get a degree, but you don't have the time, or the money or the self confidence, you need to reconsider.

Since I was in my late 20s I yearned to go to school and get a degree in Art or Literature. I had gone to community college for a year and a half. I took secretarial classes and hated every moment of it. One day, at my wit's end, I trashed all my books in the garbage and went home crying. I didn't want to be a secretary! I wanted to be an artist.

In 1974, if a person said they wanted to be an artist, they were laughed at. Seriously. I never got one bit of support from anyone anywhere. "You can't make a living being an artist." That's all I ever heard. Unfortunately I listened and I believed. No one ever mentioned to me that money isn't everything. No one told me to follow my dream. I heard about how talented I was, but I guess people meant that in a "she is so talented, but she needs to learn shorthand"kind of a way.


When I was around 30, I went on a retreat and stayed in a dorm at Western University. It was just a weekend retreat, full of spiritual renewal and friendship, but something happened to me there that never left me. It was late in the evening, my room mate and I were talking about our dreams and aspirations, and we both confessed that we wished we would have gone to college.

Maybe it was the atmosphere of the dorms, where we imagined life as a college student. We glanced out the window down into the large square below, where we pictured students hustling to their next class or studying under an autumn covered tree. Even though the student square was dark and empty, I saw myself there, discussing Dickens or Bronte, drinking coffee or sketching.

In reality, I was a 30 year old wife and mother. My husband and three kids were back in Garden City waiting for me to come home and be mom again. Our family lived paycheck to paycheck. Sometimes I managed to take a community education art class or writing class. It filled the void. But, there was never a thought of going to college. I felt I had missed that bus.
My goal then became to try to influence my children to go to college when their time came. My oldest son went for awhile, but lost interest. My two youngest just never had any interest, and that's fine, since it's not for everyone.

But it was for me. I never stopped thinking about it. I knew I would never live in a dorm or go to football games, but I still wanted a degree. It just never was that important in the grand scheme of things, though. That is until my husband left me.

At the age of 39, I was faced with divorce and instant poverty. Something that can be pretty devastating to anyone, but there was a silver lining around it. I could get grants and go to school. So, I went back to my community college and found out that there were about 25 credits waiting for me that I could still use. Soon I had 30, then 40, then 50. I changed my mind a few times and accumulated 79 credits. By then, I knew I wanted to skip the associate degree and go right on to a Bachelors Degree. I discussed this idea for a year, debating on the affordability of it, and trying to figure out where to go. I sure didn't want to go to a big college.

The ball really started to roll in August of 2007. My friend asked me to go to Oakland University with her because she wanted to get into their Master's Degree Program. I went along for the ride since it was about an hour away. I waited outside of the adviser's office where my friend was applying for admission.

Twenty minutes later she walked out, a big smile on her face. "I'm in!" she said. She was so happy and excitedly talked about her plans all the way home. Although I heard most of what she was saying, I was having an internal conversation of my own. If she can do it, so can I.
This 25 year old friend already had her Bachelor's Degree and Teacher's certificate. I heard myself say over and over, "what the hell are you waiting for??"

That night I applied for a student loan. I chose Madonna University since it was closer to my home and it's a small private college. 76 of my credits from Schoolcraft college were transferred to Madonna. I now have 98 credits with 7 more on the way.

Going to school was probably the greatest gift I could have ever given myself. I'm 53 years old now and I have such a wonderful sense of purpose and happiness now. I have other dreams and aspirations. They might have to wait till my education is complete. But, because of that education, I may be able to obtain those dreams one day; a trip to England and a house with a library. They are next on my list.

If there is something that you've always dreamed of doing, whether it's getting a degree, climbing a mountain, or learning how to sing, do it. Don't let other things get in the way. Find a way! Don't listen to negative people (which is hard, since they are everywhere). Set little goals that will lead to your big goal. Replace "I Wish" with "I am". If this 53 year old, disorganized, scatter brained, Attention Deficit, anxiety ridden woman can do it, so can you!

Going after a dream and achieving it is the most empowering and satisfying thing you'll ever feel.

Once again, here's one of my favorite quotes...

If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.

Henry David Thoreau

Now go out there and follow your Dream!

Check out this group

I get a lot of motivation and inspiration from other blogs, groups and forums. Although I think that maybe I spend too much time doing so, it beats watching TV. Here are a few of the places I visit. I have to admit though, that I lurk, as I am trying to limit my involvement. I don't visit every day either, but when I do, I always learn something valuable.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AJmarketing/

The above group is great because it's all about making it as an artist. They don't discuss the artwork, but how to promote and market the art

.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheArtofLicensing/?yguid=101558746

This is another group and it's all about licensing art work. You will learn a lot by looking through the archives. (I just found some messages I left from 2003!)



I just discovered this site...http://www.ideabook.com/..It's all about desk top publishing and has great information if you want to make a living doing graphics. The links page alone is worth the visit.

This site,,http://www.dafont.com/..is wonderful. It has a great variety of fonts that are free. I love collecting fonts and this is the first place I go to when I need something new and free!


My instructor just told me about a motivational site, called ted.com..(http://www.ted.com/index.php)..The tag line is Ideas worth spreading. You can listen to motivational speakers for free (they offer 200 talks in their archives).

Finally, here's a site you may never want to leave. It's called Colour Lovers, http://www.colourlovers.com/

It is a color and design community that is a visual treat. There are color swatches, patterns, different palettes, and a color blog. You can find the latest trends in colors (this fascinates me as I often wonder, Who decides?).

Hope you enjoy these sites as much as I do.

Don't quit your day job...

I made a decision a few months ago that I was going to try to support myself through my art and clay. I worked as a Site Director in a before and after school Child enrichment program, and it was starting to stress me. When school was dismissed in June, I decided to take the summer off. I had a great summer, and my cake topper orders kept me in cash all summer. I had saved some money to live off of and having all of that freedom gave me the push I needed to tell my boss that I wasn't coming back in the fall.

I listened to motivational tapes that kept me inspired and I worked daily on my business. I was sure that I could support myself with my clay, but the need for a new car and a drop in orders forced me to rethink that decision. At about the same time that the financial crisis in America was hitting, my own crisis was starting to show itself. I was beginning to think that I might not be able to make it as a self employed artist.

Two weeks ago my former boss asked if I would like a small site to direct. "7 kids!" she said, dangling this opportunity over my head. I did not hesitate and accepted the job. It was with a happy heart that I started last Friday.

My first day on the job (which is only 3.5 hours per day) I bonded with the children and met most of the parents. It was a great start and I was glad to be back working with kids.

It's funny though, how a few rude parents can totally change a person's perspective. Yesterday, I had to inform a parent that she was a few weeks behind in her tuition. She started to argue that she didn't owe it, she wasn't going to pay it, and she's going to be mad if she has to. I finally told her my boss would handle it. She told me she understood it wasn't my fault, but she still wasn't going to pay it. I just can pass her off to my boss, who said she would handle it. I still may have to listen to this parent complain, in fact, I'm sure she will.

Today, a father came in to get his son. I hadn't met him yet and asked to see his ID. I knew it was going to be a hassle because when the dad came in, he didn't look at me or speak to me. I came up to him, introduced myself to him, and asked to see his ID. His attitude was immediatly condesending. He asked me, "how old is my son?" "How old?" he repeated. Before I could answer, he said, "He's ten years old and he ought to know I'm his dad."

I replied, "yes, but I don't know you." He repeated his rude comment.

I replied, "My concern is just for the safety of your child."

The father walked to the door, stopped and looked at his son. "Are you old enough to know I'm your dad?" he asked.

"Do you have your ID?" I continued.

Finally, he opened up his wallet, mumbling under his breath as he flipped it open, and just as I leaned forward to see, he snapped it shut and walked out of the door.

I was dumbfounded. If I were a parent with a child in daycare, I would be glad to show my ID.
I stood in the middle of the room and, sure enough, felt my eyes tear up as a lump formed in my throat. It took me about 15 minutes to get the thought of him out of my head without crying, and now, 6 hours later, I'm writing about it. I hate the fact that I'm so sensitive. It really bothers me. What I would really like to have said was, "Well, sir, I guess you won't mind if I let your son go home with anyone. Hopefully, no child molester will stop by to get him."
But, because I'm too polite for my own good, I just stood there like a door mat.




It's moments like this that I wish I could be more successful with my clay and that I could make more than enough money to support myself. I must admit, as soon as I got home, I worked on my website, made a few items, did my homework for my graphic class and worked on promoting my sites. It's jerks like the above dad who will inspire and motivate me to one day be successful enough to be self employed. I should have thanked him. For now though, I'll bite my tongue, do my job, and work like mad on my own business.

Incentive

I don't know if I'm crazy or bored or jealous, but I just printed out ebay feedback for two polymer clay artists. I added up the amount of sales they had to inspire myself. One girl's sales figure was $2600 for the month of July (and it's not even over yet.) The other's was around $700 for one account and $1600 for another. This is pretty inspiring to me and I think to myself, if they can do it, so can I.

Sometimes I think I waste time looking at other people's work, and that I should just be focusing on my own art. But I can't help it. I want to know what other artists are creating and what the public is buying. I wonder, if you are an artist, are you checking up on your competition?

It's not about copying. I wouldn't do that, at least not intentionally. I have so many of my own ideas, I don't need to copy. But, I wonder if my ideas are any good. I try to keep up with trends, as I think most people do.

It's funny because I really admire a fellow class mate's talent. Her name is Jill and she makes graphics and sells buttons. (Here's her blog...http://jnhkgraphicdesign.blogspot.com/).
I was telling my friend, Mary Ann, about Jill's work and how her designs are so "today". Jill really seems to have a style that is unique, yet current. My style is very whimsical and silly and I wonder if it is old and out of fashion. Mary Ann told me to stay true to myself (in the midst of my re-inventing). Later on, after Jill visited my website, she mentioned to me how cute my clay is. She showed my site to her co-workers and they loved my pigs and monkeys. Sometimes when we doubt ourselves, it's nice to be complemented by our peers.

What's new?

I've been listening to motivational tapes and time management tapes daily as I create my clay babies. I decided to "kick it up" a notch and add more details and whimsy to my designs.

Right now I'm working on an art doll witch along with little minis and lots of Halloween.

I'm still working on making a decent video tutorial. I do have a tripod as someone suggested so I think I'll try again Sunday.

Thanks for visiting!