As I was perusing creative news today, I found an article about a teacher, Carlo Dawson, 33, whose students reciprocated her efforts to support their creativity by encouraging her to follow her musical dreams.
Dawson had brought in her guitar to play and sing for the class at times, in order to help them feel better about pursuing their own creative endeavors in spite of any insecurities they might have. Some of the students thought that she was amazing and were incredulous that she was not pursuing her music. She told them it was just a hobby.
Some of the students came back after they graduated to support her music –and this part makes me teary eyed — one student helped her design her website, another helped with the album cover and a third broadcast her songs at his North Carolina college radio station. Her album is recorded under the name Carlo L’Chelle.
It’s awesome to see that Dawson is and was able to help her students pursue their own creativity by sharing hers with them. That supportive energy she gave out freely to her students grew large enough to encompass her in return. This is an empowering example, especially when I think of all of the implications it has for our lives.
Something extraordinary happens when we share something we’re passionate about with others. Not always immediately and with such dramatic results; sometimes it happens slowly over time. Seeds are planted. Just because you don’t find immediate success (as society and mainstream media project is the only way) doesn’t mean something incredible won’t happen. The world is full of stories about people that grow their talents over time and emerge later to captivate others, through any number of means.
Granted, 33 is still young. But for all of you worried that you haven’t succeeded in the eyes of the world if you’re not blasting into the public eye in your late teens and early twenties, keep on keeping on. Don’t give up. Good things, beautiful things, take time to grow. And sometimes it’s not the best time for your dreams to manifest. We’re all going where we’re meant to be going and sometimes it comes clear after we pursue our art in the dark for quite some time.
Don’t ever give up on your creative endeavors. Do them for you. The rest is just icing on the cake.
As a mid-20s wannabe rockstar who is plagued with thoughts that I missed some deadline, this is the best thing I have read all day.
I stumbled upon your blog through another entry while searching for “good places for artists to move” (I just moved to Austin but it doesn’t seem to be quite what I was looking for… I could really relate to your writing about San Francisco, as that’s how I feel about Philadelphia where I’m originally from…)
Anyway, just wanted to say I’m really liking your blog. Thanks for writing.
Hi Christa,
Thanks so much for posting here and for reading! My main goal here with this blog is to reach other people like us who ponder
life, existence, following our dreams and the meaning of it all while trying to live day to day in a society where things are just flying
at you and time feels like it’s running out. Or something to that effect. Mostly I love to connect with other writer/musicians and artists
and it makes me happy when I find you!