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The Painter’s Way: A Year in Review

It has been a year since I made the decision to change the way I was doing life. I had spent the last 24 years in retail management and worked for three different companies over that period of time. I was choosing the same road over and over. Each time I would tire of my job and move on to another just like it.

I believed retail management was my only skill set and that if I quit, I would starve. My friend Mimi Clark recently described this pattern in language that made sense to the gardener in me. She read, “It is like digging a trench deeper and deeper when the garden beds are ready and seeds are in hand!”

I had a deep desire to focus on my passion to paint. So, last year I stopped digging my trench of retail management and took the leap into growing my creative aspirations.

I cannot deny that stepping into and living a creative life is scary. But in the process I discovered that I can earn money by doing things I love. I have worked at a farm three days each week, honing my own gardening skills to produce more food in my yard while getting exercise and becoming more healthy in the great outdoors. (No gym fee required!) I have used my cooking skills to do some personal chef work, and…I have sold paintings!

Another aspect of making ends meet in the creative life has simply been spending less. I cut back my cell phone plan, adjusted the thermostat, and realized that I need a lot less than I think I need. All the little cuts in spending added up to a whole lot of savings. Cha-ching!

Earning and saving money have called upon my management skills to manage my own life rather than others’.

Time is another commodity I had to take a look at. I take the time to gather inspiration by surrounding myself with activities and positive people that inspire me. I attend monthly potluck dinners, which include creatives and family! I read more and listen to podcasts of individuals who have embarked on similar journeys. I get more sleep and have more time with family.

One day my daughter called and wondered if I wanted to join her and my two grandsons…in about an hour. Motivation struck, and they were going to a nearby park to take the training wheels off the boys’ bikes to learn to ride. I’m in! My adult son was invited as well and showed up on bicycle to take part in the memory. The boys succeeded, and there we were, together, cheering them on!

I have learned successful artists are generous. I have mentors who invest their time and energy in me. People have given me free tickets to enjoy concerts, a special gift considering that I paint to music. In turn, when I sell a painting, I donate to the Civic Orchestra of Jacksonville as I serve in the position of Artist-in-Residence. This position has also given me the opportunity to give of my time by going into elementary schools to teach students to connect music and visual art.

The list that enhances my quality of life goes on, and there seems to be no lack of abundance in my life. I have been challenged and stretched beyond anything I could have ever imagined. This past year has been one of the best years of my life.

I encourage you to take a look at something you have always wanted to do and make space for that. You may not have things in place to quit your job tomorrow, but you might be able to pick up a brush, an instrument, a pen, some yarn or fabric, and take a step…and perhaps one day take the leap!

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