Pathways are not necessarily straight, they may not be easy, more often than not they take work and flexibility. I may define my success by how I feel about my path.
I think one of the most challenging parts of being a creative person, is that my creativity is constantly being fed. When I first began this journey I had no idea where my curiosity and desire to learn copperplated script would lead. I just took a single class, which lead to joining a calligraphy guild which then led me on a path to study with calligraphers, typographers, and lettering artists from around the world!
In the very beginning an opportunity came along to take a year long calligraphy course . I had no idea how intense this class would be nor the path it would present before me. I was a sponge, absorbing everything that inspired and motivated me. Over the course of time I would adapt this precious knowledge to suit my needs. I didn’t have a business plan, in fact no one at the time was talking about how to create a calligraphy business.
My pathway unfolded leading me through the wedding industry. I was booking lucrative wedding jobs and other small commissions for several years. I continued on this path of how to enhance my calligraphic skills so I could offer more diverse lettering on a wide variety of surfaces. My path seems to have always led me to share my calligraphy with the world. I want to enrich, inspire and leave the people I meet connected through my calligraphy.
Moving to Vegas has once again opened doors to new opportunities, and pathways. While in the process of moving I became sidetracked with social media and the numerous trends and classes I was seeing. I was seeing calligraphers who were engraving, bottle painting, blinging out bottles, pyrography, embossing, debossing, etc.
Trying to keep up with these latest trends I became aware of a tendency to compare my business and current skills to those I was seeing. I felt a profound crippling effect at levels I didn’t quite understand. Seeing calligraphers going along pathways that were more artistic left me questioning my own talents.
Then I had an epiphany when I heard a calligrapher say how she wished she could paint like someone she was watching. It hit me then that her true pathway was not calligraphy, it was actually painting. Calligraphy just happened to be leading her to the understand of her true passion. This was the breakthrough I needed!
Understanding that my path is my path and that calligraphy has always been my passion. This clarity helps me to enhance my calligraphy skills to continue sharing with my clients.
Finding and defining my artistic pathway is a never ending journey.