I am in tears. Happy ones. Today I found out that Raindance won an award at the UK Colored Pencil Society’s 19th Annual Open Exhibition. Today the much-awaited CP Treasures 7 was collection was released, and Raindance was one of only 112 pieces selected to be included. And right now it’s on display at the Tsuga Gallery, where it was selected as a featured artwork in a colored pencil exhibition.
And as if that weren’t enough, Artsy Shark has selected Journey to Shangri-La as a featured piece in their call for featured artists.
What an amazing day! It’s like winning the Colored Pencil Super Bowl. And I feel like the world is spraying champagne on me right now. (Or dumping a cooler of Gatorade on my head.)
Call this a message from the universe for you today: Whatever you dream, you can make happen.
Five years ago or so, I never would have dared to think of a day like today. “No way, I would have said. I will never be good enough to win awards or have my artwork featured.”
How wrong I was.
Heck, when I started making colored pencil art, I didn’t know what I was doing. I just noodled around with it because it was fun to do. Then I found other people who made art with colored pencils, and began to feel like part of a tribe.
I always treated art-making like play (and I still do). Whatever my inner eight-year-old wants to do with those pencils, she gets to do. No rules or have-tos.
And that’s why I wanted to share this with you today. Because I truly, down-to-my-bones believe that what happened for me today could happen for you.
I can’t tell this to myself five years ago, but I can tell you: The only thing that is holding you back is not trying.
And yeah, you may not succeed right away. But please don’t let that stop you. If you are doing something you love, whether it’s art or writing or hair cutting or car repair, do it because you love it.
Let the love be enough, at least at first. Success will come.
I wish you the magic of realizing your dreams.
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