I’m a fool! Are you?

“If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.” Epictetus

Growing up, I never really had big dreams or goals for myself for “when I grow up.” Part of the reason why is because no one really ever took the time to challenge me in that way. The main reason is because I never witnessed anyone doing anything they loved to do. I was surrounded by people who worked jobs because they HAD to. More importantly, no one ever told me that I could really do WHATEVER I wanted. Or, if they did, I missed it somehow. You wanna know what I was told…You go to school, try to get good grades, then graduate. After that, go to college, try to get good grades, graduate again. Then you get a job in whatever field just doing something that your gonna make good money in and hopefully it will also have good benefits. Then you work for 40 or 50 years and hopefully retire.

Does that sound like a LIFE to you? I mean, really, does it? Real life? Were we born to follow this structure for the purpose of making lots of money? What’s the point?

But I did just that. It took me a while to get through the school part. I also got married in there somewhere to a wonderful hunk of a man who inspired me greatly! He also challenged me incredibly…to do more, dream more, be more. Meanwhile, as an assistant in the human resources department ( btw, my degree is in fashion merchandising - go figure) I found myself driving home, with the rest of the thousands of cars on the interstate like ants all in a line, just worn out and depressed. That’s when it hit me!

Why am I not using the talents my God gave me? God designed me with a passion to create so why wouldn’t He use that in my life somewhere. After lots of late night talks with the hubby, and lots of prayer on the ground…I took the plunge. The christianese way to say it would be, I stepped out of the boat. It was the scariest thing I ever did. But I KNEW I was supposed to do it. I quite my HR position and started working for Jaime, an already well established faux finisher, at $10/hr. It was great. Don’t get me wrong, it was tight financially at home. God seemed to always provide right at the 11th hour, but I trusted Him to provide. People thought I was crazy. They didn’t get why I would quite a perfectly good job. Some people thought I just didn’t want to work, which was even weirder because Bart and I don’t have children…yet.

(Oh and by the by, my husband Bart is a minister and took a job at a church for a thousand bucks a month the day we got back from our honeymoon. So the guaranteed check & great benefits from me was quite the big deal.)

However, God’s plan worked. Imagine that, right!? Jaime and I became fast friends (she almost immediately asked me to be a partner) and as we painted together, we dreamed together even more. Oh the conversations we had. “If we are doing this, can’t we also do this? Would people like it? LET’S TRY!” So we got a studio (or talked her dad into letting us use his garage and workshop) and began learning how to build things…with a saw…and other big scary tools that only men are supposed to use, right? It was great! Now, we have picture frames and quote plaques in several stores in several states.

I am just amazed at where God has brought me! I NEVER thought I would have my OWN business. I can’t wait to see what He does next, cuz that’s the thing…He is never finished with us. That is, not while we are here.

What about you? Would you be content to be thought of as foolish?