Making My Dream Come True

As most people are celebrating St. Patrick's Day, today is special for me because it marks a very important anniversary in my life. Five years ago today, I embarked on my dream of being a fine artist.

When I left architecture, I had a whole lot of hope and enthusiasm, and a moderate level of skill. For the first two years I focused on improving my technical skills. In those early days, I would read art books for an hour in the morning and then go paint. I had read about the 10,000 hours rule and made the goal of putting in 50+ hours a week behind the easel. This way I could reach the 10,000 hours one year ahead than if I was only putting in 40 hours a week into painting.

In the first two and a half years, I was able to maintain those hours. Then a wonderful person entered my life, namely my daughter, Naomi.

{Naomi's first morning home from the hospital}

After she was born, I moderated my time in the studio so I could also meet her needs. (as a side note, I was still painting up until the day I went into labor). In so many ways, adding the responsibility of loving and mothering my daughter has made me an even more creative and disciplined artist. She has added a dimension to my life that has made my work even more expressive and thoughtful.

My life may not be as regimented as before (I no longer get an hour to read in the morning) however my life always asks for creative solutions, which in turn produce some great results.

These past five years have been the best in my life, and I feel so fortunate to be able to pursue my dream. Thank you for being a part of it all and thank you for helping me stay inspired.

Dreams do come true over time if you are willing to dedicate the focus to achieving them. And if you have a hidden life-long ambition, please consider sharing it with someone dear in your life, you may be surprised by all the help and support they are willing to give you to see you achieve your dream.

This is how it worked for me.