“The Journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step.” ~Lao Tsu

I read in an article that people with positive attitudes are more likely to see opportunity. Although it comes in many disguises, opportunity can be disguised as failure. It may come clothed as a bad turn of events. It might even reveal itself in upheaval. Nearly all the skills I employ for my current work have been learned in the recent past as the result of an upheaval.

I worked in clay for about ten years after being an illustrator most of my life. I had unquestioningly accepted the career path for my life, formed by my parents. It self-perpetuated because I believed them. For decades working in paint, canvas, cartoons, and clay.

Did I have talent? Maybe. For me it was easy. But maybe not entirely fulfilling. I enjoyed many aspects of it, the freedom, the creating of something out of my imagination, talking to other creatives about their work and art shows. So many forms of beautiful expression.

Certainly, art can be therapeutic

Change isn’t always welcome. When my daughter and I moved into a new residence in the country, we were informed by our landlord that kilns could not be used in the basement where I’d begun setting up my third fully functional, totally outfitted basement clay studio. The next door neighbor graciously allowed me the use of his wood shop.

This interim fix left me feeling a bit uneasy as I never really knew when he’d need his shop. Traipsing back and forth with trays of tiles, and fragile vessels (especially in the cold months) was annoying. Making sure the kiln was firing then later, making sure it had shut off. All of it felt very inconvenient. I worried about one of the 2000 degree kilns starting a fire in a place where wood lay everywhere.

One day in the middle of a mosaic project, the joy for art left. I never finished. While wondering what to do, I wrote about it. I grieved the loss. I gave away, donated and sold off supplies and studio equipment.

my true calling

Had I not let go of the studio, The chances of my exploring full-time writing may not have presented itself. Because I had, a light came on. I researched social media (such as it was at the time) and aligned my thoughts with people making a living from it. My life has totally changed. Are you holding onto a past idea that prevents you from seeing a better future?

If you listed your talents and abilities, what ideas might start forming in your mind? What do you love doing your free time? Can it be turned into a side hustle? Where do you imagine yourself five years from today? If all change is made one step at a time, what will your next step be?

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