 People say that what is meant for you will always be.. and to some degree I believe that.
Perhaps our calling finds a way to us? I can tell you that a lot of people have found their calling by mistake. For instance, how many times have you heard someone saying that they just tried something, or someone asked them to come along to something, perhaps they were even dragged to something against their will- and it turns out, that they are amazing at that particular thing. Or, you know how sometimes you get an inkling that you want to do something, and then you shrug it off? Or, maybe there is one thing that you have really been wanting to do, and life keeps getting in the way. Those are the little things in between you and your hidden talent. If you don’t take action, for whatever the variables are, you may miss out on huge opportunity. We know this to be true for many principals in life, yet.. did you ever consider passing thoughts as clues for your life's divine plan? For me personally, one day I had the nudge to go to an Art Shop I always drove past. I did art in high school, yet to tell you the truth I wasn't very good at it. I think in high school you tend to compare yourself to a lot of people, so I never thought that day my decision could lead to a career in design. I also never knew about Textile Design, so of course I never thought it could be a career. So, given all of this, why did I even go? What was I hoping to achieve? All I knew was that I needed a hobby, like most things though I would probably give up. The day came and I took my brother with me, we were both still living at home at the time. When I asked him if he would come, he looked back at me with a puzzled look on his face, and for the effort of killing time, he agreed. I sped home. I actually got a speeding ticket - which is funny, because I was obviously SO excited. I had no idea what I was going to paint. I knew I had to create something, something had to come out, something had to happen. My point is, I didn't have to go to the art store that day, I could have let self doubt get in the way, used some old materials that I had at home, yet - it was a split second decision based off an inkling, that, today was the day I was going to do something different. That decision ended up leading to a 7 year career in Textile Design. I also reflect on the fact that If I hadn't of posted the photos of my paintings on Instagram I wouldn't have been contacted by the companies that gave me my first shot, and, so the cycle continues. If I hadn't of taken that one photo, that one day, of that one drawing. So where is this going? It’s so easy to dismiss thoughts. It’s so easy to put things off, or to not try new things. I think if you don't know what you passion is, you have to try a thousand things, you don't get the luxury of being dismissive with passing thoughts and inklings. For once, don’t ignore those tiny, erratic voices in the back of your head. In the early stages of my painting it was still never an option for me to be a full time Textile Artist, I went to university and studied a Bachelor of Business Degree, majoring in Human Resources and Integrated Marketing Communications. The moment I was employed as a commercial designer, earning a steady salary with super, paying of my university debt, having had bought an Audi, all through my designs was the very moment I thought back to that day, where I realised that driving to the West End Art Shed was just the beginning. Again, for me, it was going to the Art Shop, but obviously it’s going to be something different for you. How will your story begin? |
