Quilting Bee #14...Bliss

Good morning everyone!! We are back inside today because it is a chilly 50 degrees here this morning - brrrrrr! Hot coffee for me!! I have set out some delicious coffee cakes this morning just warm out of the oven, lemon poppy seed and cinnamon. I have also placed a huge bowl of fresh fruit, can you smell that melon & delicious yogurt and granola. There is a wonderful Kona coffee today and some sweet tea for those of you who would like iced tea. Thank you for coming by, please pull up a chair!

I love articles about following your bliss. Success stories about folks who suddenly quit their jobs and as lawyers and doctors and started doing that their heart called to them to do. I am always seeing this concept somewhere, follow your bliss. I totally agree.... you will be successful if you follow your bliss. Really it is amazing what some people are successfully at - because of their passion for it. I often think of Steve Irwin when I read these stories. Talk about a man who followed his bliss! Crocs and reptiles..he loved em!! A lifetime obsession turned into a lifetime work. I was deeply saddened - well honestly I cried when I heard he had passed! But...he left such an example of where your bliss can lead you. He could have been an ordinary, passion filled Zoo director, but he propelled that love into a whole other universe...we all loved him and gained an understanding of reptiles in the process. There is just no way you could watch Steve and not feel his bliss - amazing!! Have you watched his daughter Bindy on the Discovery channel? Yup there is that bliss!!

So, I thought I would talk about following your bliss. This is a tricky business, not as simple as it would seem. It takes a bit of bullocks, patience and a thick skin. I think most folks think this concept means becoming an artist or writer, not so....your bliss could be so many things. Starting a charity organization, a bike shop, going back to school to be something other than your current career, anything...even a reptile man!!

How do you know what your bliss is?? What makes your heart sing? Is there something that you do that you become so engrossed you lose track of time and suddenly its three hours later?? Do you loooove it even when no one around you seems to care? Has anyone ever said to you how amazing your "gift" is? Make a list of things you love, anything, everything and then narrow it down to five. If you could do something involving those five things..what would it be?? Brainstorm every possible thing you could do with those five things together or separately. Now comes the tricky part..not looking at the money making issue - don't even consider that...what makes you want to jump in with two feet..what is the universe calling you to do?? This may take a while to figure out be patient with yourself...it will come!

So you know what your bliss is...now what. This is where the bullocks come in...you have to start chipping away at it. For me it's the artwork and the photos, which for me is art if I get it right. Unlike some I do not have the cash to ditch my current profession and just do art, wish I did but not so much. So what now... you go at it like eating an elephant - one little bite at a time, forgive the metaphor..ick, but it makes my point. You all know the last several years of our lives have been money poor so...this is how I started. I asked alot of questions of artists who were on line, how did they start, what places are best for selling online or in the real world etc etc. They answered in droves!! You have to do the footwork...ask and you will get answers! When you have some idea of what it will take to get started...you have to have the bullocks to step off that cliff and take that first little leap. For me it was listing my first piece on Ebay and it scared the crap out of me. I had sold my art for years..little dribs and drabs here and there...but online...this was a huge market!! It was a huge step in my art career!! HUGE!!

So a year and a half later, with some wonderful success..I am inching closer to being a full time artist. As I go along I learn more and more and my muses offer me more ideas...things I never considered doing before..like greeting cards. It just keeps growing as long as I keep feeding it, not like a monster, like a beloved rose bush! You have to keep plugging away at it! There also has to be balance here between what you want and responsibility. I couldn't just quit paying the rent..so I had to balance and organize my time better to fit in the artwork. Over time I will phase out the teaching and increase the artwork..this will take time. There is the patience part!

Now the "no one seems to care" part. It would be wonderful if those around us supported everything we did. Many of us know...that is not always the case. People around you may want you to remain who you are, not change. If you start following your bliss you will change in huge ways. No everyone will see this as a good thing, they may want you to remain the breadwinner, or care provider. They may be a parent who cannot respect your decision to become an actor or artist. Maybe your whole family are doctors and you want to be a lawyer. Maybe you want to go back to school and get your Bachelors or Masters. Just be aware that your following your bliss also means change for those around you so consider the speed as you do this. So even if people around you reject what you are doing...keep at it. Look for objective parties to help you critique your work or ideas. I joined an art group on Ebay, no one knew me and could give me honest feedback about my artwork. Maybe a professional in the field you are interested in, seek out objective advice! Not everyone in the world needs to like what you do...but you need to like what you do. Follow your heart not the market. The market will find you.

So... today I would like you to share your bliss with me. Would you share with us how you have followed your bliss, or what you might like to do?

Speaking of blissful I'm off for some of that delightful fruit and yogurt & some delicious hot coffee. Thank you for joining me today!! Namaste, Sarah