Climbing the Mountain to the Party of your Dreams

It happens to the best of us. . . The story goes something like this-- An artist learns about this amazing platform called Instagram.  She creates a profile and starts to post her work.  The platform opens up a world of new positive energy and opportunity for her, so she dedicates more and more time to it.  She spends hours scrolling. . .  Learning.  She is committed to climbing the mountain to the top.  More followers.  More hearts.  More comments.  More beautiful posts and more communication.  Her energy is directed outwardly.  Her social conversations and self worth start to revolve around Instagram.  She keeps climbing.  Soon she thinks she is almost to the top and is so excited.  FINALLY!. . . Her hands reach for the edge and she pulls herself up to take in the view.  YES!  She made it!  She is exhausted but feels so accomplished. . . However, as she pauses to take in the scene, she soon realizes that her efforts did not get her to the top at all.  She is only on a landing on the side of the mountain.  In shocked disappointment, she looks up to see how massively huge the mountain really is.

In her moment of deflation, on the side of the mountain, she can hear a distant party going on at the top.  Just to rub it in.  The party is shiny, beautiful, and very much what she has always dreamed of.  The people at the party are celebrating.  They made it there effortlessly.  Our artist is not at the party.  She is alone, exhausted, a little confused, and so far away from the party of her dreams

. . . So that was my experience this week.  We have all been there right?  Even if you have never heard of Instagram, there most likely has been a moment in your life where you have judged yourself based on other's perceived opinions that spun into an engery vacuum and you soon found yourself alone on the side of a mountain with no hope of ever making it to the party of your dreams.  It's not a fun feeling, but it is a real one that many creative people face all the time.  This process will lead you to a pause that usually begs the critical question,
  "Which way do I go?"
Circumstances will dictate one way or an other, however as a creative minded person. . . I found myself asking a second alternative question.  One that always surprises me and takes me out of the box I create.
"Is there another way?". . .

The answer we should always keep in mind its,
"YES!  There is always another way."  
There are HUGE mountains out there and we all climb every day.  I applaud those that keep their heads to the grindstones, staying on the path that has already been carved, working towards a common ideal, and placing everything neatly in its appropriate box.  Some will make it to the party this way.  Some will not but will always keep trying.  Some will give up completely.  Don't get me wrong -- I am going to a party.  We all deserve to give ourselves that much. It is just tough because the mountains with big promises and perfectly seeming shining parties are not all the amazing bliss they are cracked up to be.  At some point we have to get real about where we actually want to go. 

Artist or not, I have to be who I am and happy with what I do, which I'm sure is the same for you whether you know it or not.  Carving a path that is all your own might not get you to the top of the mountain, but it will be amazing work that leads you to a party that is all your own. Ironically finding your party in the long term tends to be more about digging into my own self, rather than about climbing other people's mountains.  

With that in mind, you will start to hear a lot more of me on this blog.  Doing it my way.  I will dig into who I am and pull it out to show you on a weekly basis.  Maybe you will like it.  I can only hope it will bring you joy and bring some insight into our humanness.  Maybe you won't and you won't follow me on Instagram-- that is up to you.  We all have our own parties to get to.  This is my party.