Being the artist of your dreams

I'm sitting here watching "Beaches" and Bette's acting always strikes a chord in my heart. It dawned on me a long time ago that if I ever want to be a brilliant artist, it takes work and a long, hard struggle. When I was 15, I decided that I was willing to struggle for my music.

If you are reading this, you are most likely an artist of some sort. Musician, painter, writer, composer--underwater basket weaver.. BUT- everyone is an artist in their own beautiful way. Even if you are a doctor, educator, geologist (the list goes on); you're an artist. I know. You are scratching your head, asking yourself; how can everyone be an artist? You are an artist because you have a passion for something that you believe in. You found what you were willing to struggle for.

WOW! Light-bulb moment, right?

I have the joy of teaching music ages 7-88. Yes, you read that right. I shouldn't choose favorites, but I have to say, adult students are mostly my favorite. I get to see them take on something new and go through that journey with them. Sometimes the children don't know playing the violin is difficult, but my adults; they do. Its a beautiful sight to see those moments of enlightenment and the second that they understand a concept that may have taken them months.

But, I also have this amazing job of being a performer. Now, I'm not a Top 40 artist yet--heck, I'm not even on the charts. You see, that's part of the dream I haven't reached yet. I have 3 goals when I perform. Number 1: Don't screw up. LOL! Number 2: Make people stop and listen (for good reasons). Number 3: (This is the most important goal) Help the audience leave feeling better than they walked in.

I don't care if I'm playing at a honky tonk, restaurant, fancy-shmancy benefit, party, or a sit down concert--it's my job to make the people feel something. At the very least, I can make them feel good. It's the biggest part of my job and I take it very seriously.

I remember the first time I saw Bette in "Big Business." I was 8 years old, and I wanted to act and sing just like her. HAHA! Well, that began my TRUE, epic journey into the world of music. (Actually, playing music started much earlier, but that's a whole other blog! LOL) I was obsessed with writing scripts, novels, lyrics--you name it, I wrote it. I joined a local theatre and it became my second home. Magic was made on that stage for many years. I honed in on my skills as an actor, writer, and musician.

What does all this have to do with the title of this blog? All my life I was told to dream big, enjoy the struggle, and one day, everything will come true--in one way or another. It may not be exactly the way you wanted it, but you'll touch the gold one day. In my head, I have this ideal artist that I want to be. Fiddler, singer/songwriter, and well-rounded performer. That's the artist of my dreams. I have to admit, sometimes I get pretty frustrated that I haven't reached some of my musical dreams-but I trust that I will.

I want you to be the artist of your dreams, too. I want you to not give up, even if its taking a lot longer than you expected or hoped. Don't give up-because I don't want you to regret it. So go out there and be the best you can be--

BE THE ARTIST OF YOUR DREAMS!

Fiddle on my friends!

Lacie