Livin' The Dream

I am doing what a lot of people dream about and that is to do what I love on a full-time basis. Oh boy, to be able to torch (or whatever the craft is) all day, every day! What's it like to live the dream? Two words: friggin' scary. Didn't think those would be the two words, did ya? So why the scary factor?

It's one thing to dabble and another to make it one's own. I hear frequently that one cannot make a living with art and that one must make what the public demands. One word: baloney! The biggest challenge is not what to make, but to be true to oneself as to what one loves to make or do. Decisions, whether it's a show, or a piece must be made with the heart or via intuition not with the head/ego. I have found that pieces that I love to make have no issue finding owners yet items that are would be "good sellers" collect dust. Why? The decision to make the "good sellers" came from my head versus from my Spirit and people subconsciously tune into that.

I tuned into a webinar by Master Coach Jeanna Gabellini from Masterpeace Coaching who says that it is essential to do what you love in your business. When you do what you love, the opportunities and the sales find you. Now that doesn't mean that I make a product and sit on the couch. I still go to shows, list on my Etsy shop and promote my goods. However through these avenues the correct people will show up. It's up to me to keep doing the steps.

So really, why is it so scary? Take a look at society as we are programmed to fit in, to mold to someone else's belief system, to put on a show, to hide one's true self, to seek approval from others, and to try to control the outcome of a situation. However now I am expressing (or starting to) express myself, warts and all. It's a nakedness of its own kind, a vulnerability and that's where the scariness comes in. It's not easy to let go and especially to let go of the outcome and expected results. Basically I'm in a crash course in Self Trust 101, 201, 301, Masters and PhD levels.

Getting back to Jeanna and her webinar, I like how she sets up her business plan: simple, fun and full of Spirit. She believes that we are not only entrepreneurs, but more importantly, Spiritualpeneurs. I will be setting up not only my glass art via her plan but also reflecting that plan on other areas of my life including my training especially when I set my goals for UBBT 9. I'm not saying what I'm doing now is wrong, I'm saying that it can always be improved to make living the dream even that much more exciting and better.

Sherri Donohue
Silent River Kung Fu, Stony Plain, Alberta