Day 231 - What are you passionate about?
I remember when I was much younger I would never fight my sleepless nights. I would embrace the time and do art work, produce music or do web and graphic design. When I think about all those hours of practice I put in, I smile. Those are things that I once loved. Fast forward to now and most times I complain about others asking me to do art. One day I retired from doing creative work that doesn't come with a long term contract. I shy away from mural commissions and portrait requests, both things that kept me fed through college and my early adult years. Only now do I realize I was tapped into my passion and my potential in a way that is almost rare. I cant believe that I allowed myself to give up on making a living at something I actually love to do. I've been underpaid, ripped off, used for months of free labor but it was ME that allowed those factors to separate me from something I love so much. I create for me now. It's stress free. There are no expectations and it feels absolutely amazing. I only take projects that either uplift my family and community members or that can pay my true worth. From this point on I won't complain about the hours it takes to create. Each hour increases my skill, my self worth and ultimately my value. I've found confidence through my art. Not many even talked to the little shy black kid that once was in special needs classes (I wouldn't talk so the school system had me placed early on). I just thought differently and didn't trust anyone. Then when my creative abilities were discovered, people approached me differently and I begin to open up. I literally found myself through art.
