Catalyst Seventy

Catalyst Seventy

July 12, 2009, 6:53 am
Filed under: catalyst

 

As always, thank you to all of our visitors and all the encouraging comments you left for us. For those of you who did, thank you for playing along with us.

 

Ok! Here’s catalyst number seventy:

 

What’s the best advice you received that encouraged you to follow your dreams? (or advice you’d give to others so they can follow their dreams.)

 

We’re so excited to have Marisa Haedike as this week’s Guest Artist.

 

I still remember the first time I saw Marisa’s paintings. I fell in love with her characters and her style. She has a variety of wonderful characters but my very favorite is the orange elephant and she used to have this beautiful polar bear. I cannot explain what I love about them, there’s just something in these paintings that makes my soul happy.

 

I have also listened to all of Marisa’s podcasts which I find very interesting and inspiring. She has recently begun an e-course: In the Fish Bowl: Life as an Artist Online which is about following your dreams as an artist (great fit for our catalyst!). Marisa also recently participated in a gallery exhibit in Los Angeles called Swoon.

 

If you haven’t seen Marisa’s truly amazing art, make sure to check out her blog, site and you buy her paintings, ceramics, night lights and much more at her etsy store.

 

 

 

 

Here is Marisa’s art with this week’s catalyst. You can click on it to see a larger version and more detail.

 

 

 

Marisa Says:

I believe that we live in a time, because of the internet, where we can glimpse into so many people’s lives {and creations} and because of this awareness of “everyone else” and what they are doing it is becoming more important than ever to stay true to who you are.

 

Technique Highlight:

 

This is an acrylic + conte crayon on wood panel.

 

 

Thank you so much Marisa; we’re so very very honored.

 

 

---

Here are some interpretations of the catalyst from members of our team.

 

Opal:

 

Opal Says:

I was always told by my mom….”Opal Jean…make the best of it. Life isn’t fair.” I have carried those words with me for oh so many years.. and would share them with anyone who wanted advice on how to succeed with their dreams. Thinking about this catalyst, the image of making lemonade out of lemons was perfect.

 

Technique Highlight:

My piece is mixed media, using a contour sketch of a glass pitcher on vellum layered on pieces of lemon yellow bits of fabric. Machine and hand quilted.

 

 

---

Wilna:

Journaling Reads:

When I think what words of wisdom I have for my girls about following their dreams, I can only look back at my own life and credit God for giving me Hid dreams, goals and purposes. No matter how much I want to credit a person for this, in my case it’s simply not true. So, my biggest dream for my girls is to know who they are in Him and to follow His dream for their lives. I love this thought by Francois Du Toit: ” Life is not about what you do, it is about who you are. Your career, job-description or achievement can never give you a greater sense of worth and contentment than the simple awareness of who you are. Nothing you could wish to have or achieve can add more value to your life. To know who you really are is the essence of all virtue. Everything God designed you for is within you and within your reach. What God knows about you, exceeds your highest ambition for yourself. What we already are, far exceeds anything we could ever wish to become! You are God’s love-dream!”

 

 

---

Karen:

Karen Says:

It may sound counter-intuitive but I have found that the best advice I ever got was someone telling me that I couldn’t do something. When I was in high school, I visited Israel and this gentleman told me that if I wanted to study computers (which I did since I was seven) I should attend Carnegie Mellon University. I had never heard of the school so I ran back to my room and wrote it down in my diary. When I went back home (to Turkey), I told my teacher that I wanted to go to Carnegie Mellon. She told me that there was no way I could get in. I didn’t have what it takes, she said. I was so mad that I made it my mission to get in to the school. Not only did I get in but I graduated with both an undergraduate and a graduate degree in four years and I graduated with honors. I have since then learned that nothing motivates me as much as someone telling me I can’t do something.

 

 

---

Lia:

 

Lia Says:

I haven’t pursued many significant dreams as yet. But when things got tough for me in the last few months, someone sent me an SMS which said “YOU WILL BE OK”. 4 simple words that brought me to tears, because they were the very thing I needed to hear. Since then, I’ve always held those words close to heart. When days are bad, when work is particularly hard, when relationships are strained, I recite these four words and I know that it will be fine. I become braver to speak out, to show my strength, commitment and capabilities, and while I don’t pursue BIG DREAMS, I know that I will be successful in all aspects of my life. Because at least I made the effort to try.

 

 

---

Larissa:

 

Larissa Says:

The best advice I’ve gotten was certainly the one which made me have self confidence and believe in my capacity. What a man can do, another man also can. Enjoy the day, live each day like if it were the last is a fabulous advice! My layout plays with the idea that I can do whatever I want but I’m not in the mood right now…

 

 

---

Severine:

 

Severine Says:

For me the best advice i received is : “live your life without worrying about what others think.” and it’s the advice I repeat to my daughter since she was born.

 

In French:

Le meilleur conseil que l’on m’est donné est : “Vis ta vie sans te soucier des autres”, et c’est celui que je répète à ma fille depuis qu’elle est née.

 

Technique Highlight:

Kraft background, collage of old newspaper, ribbons and scrap paper, gesso and for finish title and photo.

 

 

---

Lori:

 

Lori Says:

I was never encouraged or discouraged to follow my dreams. I’m a big dreamer and it really wasn’t until I met my husband that I felt safe and supported enough to want to follow a dream. All these years later, I’m finally ready to go for it.

 

Journaling Reads:

I have always been a dreamer. It wasn’t until recently that I have had to decide whether to follow my dream or not. It’s my husband who has encouraged me to go for it. He told me to work hard and stay focused on what I want and it will happen. No time is better than now.

 

 

---

Wendela:

 

Wendela Says:

The best advice I’ve ever received is….”follow your heart” Follow your mother heart with breastfeeding….when it feels good, it IS good…go for it, follow your heart…And about my kids…follow your heart…play with your kids, and enjoy life with them!!! No matter when your house is a mess….or no matter when you don’t have a great job at that time… follow your heart to be a mommy…And now for my kids..the best advice to give them…follow your heart!!!

 

Technique Highlight:

First I cut out a heart from patterned paper, after that a heart from fabric, and I put it together with my sewing machine. And added crunched vellum, and some flowers, tule and lace…

 

 

---

Rachel:

 

Rachel Says:

It’s so true… when I feel discouraged in my pursuits, I think about this. And I remember that while it’s not something I like, failure is a part of success. And your failures can build you up for your success if you just keep trying. Keep believing. Keep dreaming. Keep thinking. Keep moving on. Your dreams will follow.

 

Technique Highlight:

To create a page that could have elements of design sticking out from the main page, I trimmed down the two sides of the Jenni Bowlin paper so that I could add more visual interest to create a unique look for my page that I feels supports the the quote that I used.

 

 

---

 

Now it’s your turn: show us your therapeutic art around “What’s the best advice you received that encouraged you to follow your dreams? (or advice you’d give to others so they can follow their dreams.)” I urge you to give it a try. It can be any form of art as long as it speaks to you.

 

Leave us comments with your work and you will qualify for the RAK we offer to a random participant. If you don’t have a community or blog where you upload photos, you can upload them on our flickr group.

 

 

Remember, this is not a competition. If your art makes you feel even a bit better at the end, you’ve won.

 

Until next week, enjoy each and every moment.

 

 

10 Comments

10 Comments so far
Leave a comment

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI