Dream Catcher Bracelet

Who here dreams?  (Raise your hands)

I don't mean dreams like the ones you have while you're sleeping (e.g. flying through the air, trying to get away from the monster that lives in your toilet).  Nor do I mean dreams you doze off to while at your desk around 2:45pm of the cute boy you saw on the subway (yeah I caught you, stop blushing).  And no, not the scheming dreams like going through your closet in your mind, putting together the best combination worthy of debuting the new shoes you're carrying in your hand.

I'm talking about the dreams you had when you were 5 or 10 years old - of your grown-up job, your family, if you were in a mansion or a shack - porsche or a volvo - had 1 or 5 kids (wait... that's MASH).

After my first semester at FIT, I was confused.  I didn't understand what my path was.  What are my steps?  What do I do with this trade I'm learning?  How do I make money?  What does being an artist mean?  Does a degree make me an artist?  Was making jewelry an art?  Ahhhh!!

I turned to my teacher for advice (you remember the teacher that had me saw out a dozen circles by hand).  Sweet Japanese man - think Mr. Miyagi, but not as athletic.  Chie grinned:  "Your past is your past.  You have to forget it.  Art is very different.  There are no answer to your questions"

Waaa?!?!  What do you mean no answers?

"Colleen, Just dream big.  

Dream really really big because this dream will find you."

What does that mean?  To dream.  I can't remember how to do that.  At what point during the course of my life did I stop dreaming?  WHY did I stop dreaming?  Do other people do it?!  

I think I stopped dreaming when I was told to start making goals.  Essentially it's the same, but "goals" feel restricting and concrete.  Making goals stripped the fun out of dreaming.  It was easy for me to say "In 5 years, I will be a CPA".  But it didn't even dawn on me to try and imagine what my life would look like in 20 years.   What will the environment around me look like?  What kinds of people do I want in my life?  What will I be feeling?  What will make me happy?  I was taught that to be successful in life, you have to make goals.  Here I am, 30 years old, and finally someone is teaching me that to be successful, in how we measure success for ourselves, we just have to dream.

        

(Click here to see the final piece)

So go ahead and make your goals.  But never stop playing MASH.