Connecting the Dots
So the other day I put this little tiny question out there and and to my delight I received some insightful, rich, and diverse answers from some wonderful fellow artists Nancy Hartley, Kelley MacDonald, Carol Carmichael, Debbie Smith Rourke and Ralph Taylor. Each with their own twist. As with any question, you could get as varied an answer as there are snowflakes. The question being how does one artist become successful where another ones does not (see my prior post).
Looking back I can see that there is a question that comes before this question, which may be the first question or... not, follow me? The first question is how does one define success for oneself. So when I posed this question I all ready had in my mind how I define success. Without defining success for yourself, it is pretty tough to determine when you've reached it. Like any statement, this one too, it could be picked apart and further dissected. But let's not go there...for now anyway.
Any hoo, back to the original question. So here is my hypothesis; some artist really listen to their inner voice, their intuition, to their heart and some artists do not. Not only do they listen but they act on what they hear. Notice I did say my hypothesis because I have not proved this theory. But, there is this kinda successful man (my tongue is firmly planted in my cheek) Steve Jobs ( you know, the guy with the little computer company) who may agree with me. In his commencement address to the 2005 graduating class of Stanford University he substantiates some of my thoughts. One of my favorite lines of his speech is: "believe (and trust) that the dots will connect down the road and this will give you the confidence to follow your heart. "He goes on to say "have the courage to follow your heart and trust your intuition because they somehow know what you truly want to become. " If you have a moment give it a listen, it's worth it.
What little things have been quietly or loudly been speaking inside you? Have you acted on them?
Amy, What a great post, and great question! I loved reading everyone's comments, especially your explanation about Steve Job's commencement address! I think that you touched on one obvious element that I overlooked, and that is effort! "God helps those who help themselves".
ReplyDeleteTrue! Amy, As I scroll down I must say, your compositions are so wonderful! Great job
ReplyDeleteAnother great post. So many things going on in my life just now my head is in a spin.
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