“Honey, are you sure you want to do this?” My mom’s eyebrows furrowed together, worried.
I WAS SURE . . . THEN . . . (Sigh)
As the miles passed under the bus, all alone on the dusty vinyl seat, the reality of the situation sank in.
Chest pounding. Thoughts racing:
- This is waaaaaay far from home . . . on my own at 21?
- Will I make friends? . . . I’m kind of a loner.
- Will I have to share a bedroom with strangers? . . . awkward.
- Will there be familiar food . . . or will they serve strange seeds and sprouts?
And AriD—zona? . . . a friend’s voice echoes in my ear “Don’t expect sand dunes.” . . . Whatever WAS there was unfamiliar . . .
The trembling inside was a mix of fear and the excitement of being alive.
Theologian and philosopher Howard Thurman once said:
“Don’t ask what the world needs.
Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.
Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
Honestly . . . After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, I thought I knew what made me come alive.
Then, I was asked by the parent of a prospective student in the BFA program, “How do you make money after you graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts?”
He obviously didn’t see what the program was about . . . I was trained to be an “artist.” That’s the point!
But, the next morning, his question haunted me.
I SHOULD know – I did everything right! I got excellent grades in high school, earned a college scholarship, put up a senior art show complete with printed invitations and a catered reception, and now . . .
I was clueless.
“What WILL I do for money? How WILL I make it in the world?”
- I can’t just work at the fabric store forever and do artwork on the side.
- I could always teach . . . Me? . . . A classroom full of kids?. . . UH UHA
- How about an MFA? More debt?
- Besides, artists should use their art to make great statements. Do I even have a statement to make??????
- Funny, I did not think of ANY of this before!
I knew what I did not want . . . but what DID I want?
After 4 years being creative in college, I could hear my teachers advise me:
“Get creative with your LIFE!
Let your imagination run wild.”
When I did, an image from a Utopias class popped in my head – it was of a visionary futuristic city under construction in the Arizona desert:
- “I want to be an artist in this Utopia, Arcosanti:
- inside the city . . . lively social interactions
- outside the city . . . wild Nature desert landscape.
- without cars, walking from place to place
- like a college campus . . . a place of learning, innovation, and high ideals.”
ALL MY CELLS STARTED TINGLING
Working there, living there . . . all guided by a vision. . . “THAT is perfect for me now!”
When a workshop brochure for that visionary city, Arcosanti, landed in my mailbox I thought, “I have nothing to lose.” I registered and paid my money.
The anticipation of achieving my artistic potential in that visionary city made me feel ALIVE!
. . . and THAT’s what got me on the bus!
Bit by bit, year after year, I was living the dream incrementally:
- going out my front door to hike in the desert,
- walking to my job, greeting people,
- cooking for my friends, eating together,
- designing tiles and furnishings
- discussing visionary ideals in front of a fireplace . . .
Until 16 years later, at Arcosanti:
In the outdoor art studio, I sat deciding which shape to carve to express the essence of the sculpture,
Yes! One of a series of sculptures . . .
Fully alive, tingling, in amazement, I realized:
- “I AM a productive artist!”
- “I AM expressing my soul!”
- “I AM living my vision!”
Wow! Am I really fully ALIVE!!!!!
How about you?
Do you know what makes you come alive?
Reflect:
- What makes your soul sing?
- What makes your cells tingle?
Let go of what you know . . . and let your imagination run wild!
Like the dream was in me . . . It already is in YOU,
Once you have clarity, ignite your dream to move beyond your fears
. . . then GET ON YOUR BUS!!!
Your vision will KEEP you on your bus, like it did for me.
. . . even if it takes miles and years.
AFTER ALL,
- This is YOUR life.
- Your ONE chance
- Do it YOUR way
May you may live YOUR vision:
The world needs YOU fully alive!
