CREATIVE SUGAR with Valeri Blossom

I started my weekly blog series CREATIVE SUGAR  to promote positivity and provide a platform for everyone to share their unique stories, knowledge and experiences, showcasing the beauty, connection, and inspiration that exists in our every day.

This week on CREATIVE SUGAR, I'm delighted to share inspiration from Valeri Blossom (where the wild things are or albuquerque, nm).

What’s the greatest advice you’ve been given?

i can't pinpoint one single bit of advice or credit just one person but through the years no matter how discouraged or depressed i was there were people that have believed in me and urged me to keep showing up, to do my best, and stay true to myself. i am ever grateful to the friends and family that used the wisdom of the ages to remind me that following our dreams, with love and forgiveness in our hearts, is the only worthwhile pursuit in this life. to them i am ever grateful.

What's some not-so-great advice you've been given?

some of the worst advice i've ever been given has been by my mother :)

when i was in third grade, my mom told me to confront a bully and say, "go ahead, hit me," assuring me that she wouldn't.

so i went back outside and did just that right before i got swiftly punched in the face.

i was always a little more upset with myself for believing my mom than with the aggressive, angry girl that hit me but that not-so-great advice provided a nifty lesson: when you bravely face life it's blows may be a little softer.

What's Your Biggest Dream?

my biggest dream is to continue painting and writing and create a business from my talents, complete with licensing deals and gallery representation. wanting to be a writer and an artist are the oldest inner whispers i can remember, and even though it took me a long time to really, truly listen to them, i'm glad they never stopped whispering. 

it is paramount that i follow my dreams so that my children will learn (by example) to follow theirs and perhaps they can align themselves on their own path a little sooner than i did.

Favorite Memory:

what comes to mind is something i carry with me and think about often. shortly after my husband and i started dating, eight years ago, we were sitting at a bar. i was flipping through our local "alternative" paper and came across a rental ad for studio space in my favorite part of town. i read the ad to him and said something flippant about wanting such a studio "someday...." but that it likely would never happen and he said, "why not? it could happen."

instead of saying something cynical i stopped myself. it was like an a-ha moment and the first time i was able to dwell in possibility rather than negativity. yeah, why not? it COULD happen!

that moment was pivotal in following my dreams even if it was eight years ago and i feel like i'm still barely starting. in that time, i earned my second degree, had two more children and am now the proud mama to three little men, but i kept taking taking baby steps towards living my dream. 

i now have a space to call my own (a wonderful studio in my home which is actually much better than one across town), the support of my family, and i've just produced an adequate amount of work for my first big folk art festival!"

(all images courtesy of Valeri Blossom)

Find more Creative Sugar inspiration here...because everyone needs a little extra sweetness in life.

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ps. This will be the last CREATIVE SUGAR post for a bit as I continue work on a few new creative projects. the CREATIVE SUGAR inspiration project will return in one form or another soon. 

In the meantime, I'll have new paintings to share with you next week!

pps. my hubby Brian has a FALL SPECIAL going on... receive 15% OFF website, blog and e-course design and development until Oct 31, 2012 (more than a $100 value). 

click here to contact him about the special and read testimonials here (he's lovely to work with).