"Passion" by Liliana N

“What? You made that! That's beautiful.” she said enthusiastically.

“Thank you.” I responded, while trying to conceal the huge smile that was now making its way across my face. We had met for the first time just a little over twenty-four hours before. Why did her opinion matter to me so much? I stepped back to admire the wall as she hung up the painting I had spent several hours on. Although I was proud of my work, a small part of me continued to overanalyze the surrounding paintings done by people older than me, better than me. This was the first time I would be selling my art in a public place.

Two weeks prior to this, I was walking mindlessly through the mall with some of my closest friends. We had tried on a few dresses for fun and planned to pop into this little art shop to get a look at the handcrafted items for sale. When I learned that every item at the shop was handcrafted by various local artists, I felt a spark light up within me. Could this be the opportunity I had hoped for? With much encouragement from my friends I stepped up to the front counter and spoke to the man. He handed me a contact information card with a website at which to apply for a position in the shop. Of course, not expecting much,  I applied as soon as I got home. Within the week my excitement had died down, not wanting to get my hopes up if things didn't work out. As I sat on my bedroom floor disappointedly looking around my room at old paintings I had hoped to sell, I received an email from the owner of the shop requesting to meet me in person to discuss selling my art. I gasped, sprung off the floor and flew downstairs to tell my parents the good news.

To say they were just happy for me would be a huge understatement. We went out to dinner that night to celebrate. My family has always been very supportive of my hobbies, buying me art supplies whenever I needed them, encouraging me to put myself out there, to share my art online and to make the effort to make money off of my paintings. My family is my inspiration, their love for my art gives me the desire to continue creating even when I feel like my work does not compare to that of others. Despite their motivation, I continued to doubt my abilities and restrict myself within my comfort zone. Each piece I make holds a special place in my heart, even when it isn’t an original piece, the time and effort I put into my work makes it difficult to want to get rid of them. All of the paintings I had made for the past 4 years had been given to family and friends as gifts for holidays and birthdays and while they hold these gifts dear, I wasn't exactly sure what made my art special enough to sell? Would it even be worth anything to a stranger? I was afraid to take the leap. Having my art up for sale to the public is something I could have never imagined. While anxious to see where this opportunity takes me, I am beyond proud of my choice to put myself out there. I truly believe that the welcoming atmosphere of the shop is what gave me the final push to take my art more seriously. In that shop I felt comfort, and saw a place where I could grow as an artist and become more confident in my abilities while being surrounded by people of different ages and different skill levels.

A line from La La Land communicates my thoughts and helps me realize that the reason why my loved ones are so encouraging is because, “People love what other people are passionate about.” My three main takeaways from this change in my life is One; that everyone should chase passion, not perfection. Two; Don’t be afraid to take the leap, to grab a hold of that chance that you have been waiting for and run. Three; Remember where you started. Take the time to reflect, to show gratitude and to appreciate everything and everyone who you have depended on to make it to where you are.  I am so thankful to the people closest to me who have continued to believe in me no matter what and I look forward to getting my first sale soon.