A (short) List

I'm a month in to living a fearlessly creative, half-assed life. There is a creative gene inside of me that's been crying out "look at me! look at me!" for years now, but the fearful perfectionist in me chose over and over to look away hoping he'd come back at a better time. Well, I don't know if there is ever a good time, and definitely never enough time, but I finally decided now is the time. The time to dream, play, explore, write, create, share. The time to let go, let loose, and run wild. 

While I believe sharing is part of the journey, I remind myself regularly that I'm doing all of this for me, because it's what I want to do and what I need to. Finally, the fear of disappointing myself for not doing it outweighed the fear of what people think of me doing it, and come to find out, creative people are pretty great. I've had a lot of encouraging conversations lately with creatives and dream-seekers alike, many at the beginning of their journeys. Through those conversations I realized that I am definitely not alone. Here are a few other learnings I've picked up along the way… 

1. The more you dream, the more you dream. Apparently this is scientific fact, but I'm learning from personal experience that the more I sit and give myself space to dream…surprise! The more I dream. It's fun really…dreaming. It usually starts out small, but then all of the sudden one idea turns into another, leading to another, branching off into a whole world of possibility. I'm trying to just let myself dream these days. No pressure to follow through or make sense of the dreams (my natural inclination), I just get to dream big dreams and try new things letting the experience shape my future. 

2. Everybody's dreams are ridiculous. It's true. Everyone has a dream and to everyone, their dream either seems impossible, ridiculous, or too far off to even consider. I may not think that, other people may not think that, but you probably do. And that's good, because then you're dreaming big. And dreaming big is fun. Just make sure you don't get caught up in the ridiculousness of it that you never actually pursue the dream. Sometimes the pursuit is just as satisfying, and how else will you know if it's possible if you never try? 

3. There is room for everyone in the creative world. I took a calligraphy class earlier this month. In a room full of hopeful creatives wondering what their place was in the creative world (or was that just me?), the instructor immediately put us at ease by sharing her story about how, as a full time teacher, she recently entered the creative world and that we could too, because there is room for everyone in the creative world. Phew. Exactly what I needed to hear. With so many amazing, talented people in this world, where do I fit in and why should I even bother? Well, in the last month I can say the creative world is full of people eager to welcome, encourage, teach, and collaborate with anyone desiring to create and learn.* Or maybe I just got lucky. 

There you have it. What I'm learning and hope sticks with me. I'm choosing to believe this is just the beginning of a limitless adventure if only I'm willing to continue stepping into the unknown. Hopefully each new month will bring a momentum of its own. 

*I'm sure there are others too, but don't spoil my fun :)