I'm a Possibilitarian...

Hello lovelies, how are you?

I'm excited to share some news with you today…… awhile back the lovely and oh so awesome Kelly Rae Roberts emailed, inviting me to be a part of her beautiful Possiblitarian Project.

Here's how Kelly Rae describes her project.

At first glance, The Possibilitarian Project looks like a blog series — a curated collection of inspiring (true) stories. Artists & writers & entrepreneurs who made their ‘impractical’ dreams a reality. Possibility-fueled visionaries who stepped into their own limitlessness. Against the grain, against the odds. Just because . . . they had a calling they couldn’t ignore.

IT’S A BLOG SERIES, SURE — BUT IT’S ALSO A MOVEMENT.

Because when you step forward as a Possibilitarian — and share the truth about how you created your beautifully messy, magnificently complicated & exquisitely joyful life and career — you give everyone else permission to dream bigger, be braver, and create what they want. And just like that, the impossible simply . . . isn’t.

Honestly, my friends…when I read that…. I get chills…..When Kelly Rae's message popped into my inbox….I about fell off my chair. I will never forget the first time I readthat  she called herself a possiblitarian…I thought…. I love that... so am I! Imagine how thrilled I was when she invited me to be a part of her project and share my story.

Today I am over at her blog…. sharing my possiblitarian journey. I'd love it if you popped by.

In honour of this…. I wanted to share an exciting, very recent addition to my possiblitarian journey.

If you've read my story here or maybe you just read my interview at Kelly Raes, you might know my son has been a big part of my journey. We went down a very tumultuous road through his teen years. In fact I spent over two years almost paralyzed by fear. I was so scared we were going to lose our boy. I gave up my art career during that time…. I could not seem to create. I sat and waited for the worst to happen…. and finally it did. But miraculously we survived....coming out on the other side stronger and better for it.

Fast Forward several years later…. October 2012…. Palm Springs California….. Shutter Sisters Oasis…..  Me, in front of the room with my beautiful friend Xanthe…. sharing our creative journeys with the Sisters…. ….our creative process…our path to Oasis….
A big part of my story ...our journey with Bryce. I shared with the women and one fellow (Jason our amazing HP guy) that I owe my new beautiful life and career to Bryce. His painful path changed my life, my direction, my career…. His journey gave me photography, travel, a tribe of amazing women who fill my heart with so much joy and this blog, YOU ..... teaching, sharing, inspiring. Who knew! It wasn't the first time I thought or said this out loud…. But it really HIT ME that day in Palm Springs…. That awful, fear-filled time was one of the BEST things that ever happened to me. How could I doubt, the power of possibility?

Bryce's Possiblitarian Story

I've been bursting to share this story with you. But I didn't want to 'jinx' it….. which I know is completely silly and quite un-possiblitarian like….. But I wanted to wait til it was actually TRUE. 

Bryce has been dreaming of being a director pretty much forever…since he was 9 or 10 he's been saying that he wants to direct movies. He seriously LOVES the movies. But how does a boy in a small Canadian prairie town…the middle of nowhere really….. find his way into the movies? Tough one right? 

I'm not sure how it will happen, but I do believe it's possible.

Let me take you back to Palm Springs ….. I mentioned there was one fellow that listened to our talk at Oasis. His name is Jason. Jason, kinda accidentally became a Shutter Brother…. That in itself is such a cool story….a last minute replacement for another HP rep. Anyhow, Jason was the perfect guy for the job and absolutely loved the experience. He came back for Oasis. The first night we gathered, Jason shared an upcoming project he was working on with HP.... setting up an 'booth' at Sundance Film Festival in Salt Lake City…working with top of the line film equipment…creating virtual movie posters…. Awesome stuff. Of course, my ears perked right up. Bryce has been dreaming of attending a film festival. Robert Redford founded Sundance…which is pretty darn cool, don't you think? Anyhow, I half-jokingly said to Jason… I don't suppose you'd need an apprentice? And without even batting an eye he said sure. I asked if he could give me that in writing. 

As of this past Tuesday evening…. Bryce is at Sundance…. He is spending 10 days in Salt Lake City….under the watchful eye (I hope) of  Jason. I mean are you kidding me?

Bryce has asked me so many time... how will this ever happen Mom? I keep saying; you just never know what might happen when you are open to possiblity.....take small steps towards your dreams and see what happens....

How could he or I dream up this gig? What are the chances of Me meeting Jason from Dallas... in California….. Jason going to Sundance in Salt Lake City...open to helping Bryce? Seriously... so good!

He's opened a new world to my boy….perhaps a beginning of believing in possibilities and dreams…. a HUGE gift for a young man finding his way.

Where will this lead? Who knows…. but I do know it's a beginning…. a chance to see there's a bigger world out there, anything is possible.....

Stay tuned… I'm sure there will be more to this story…….

Thanks for stopping by … If this is your first visit… I'm truly honoured to have you here.

I'd love to hear your possiblitarian stories....

I leave you with the quote from my uptop photo....t's worth repeating....

Until next time… love & gratitude…. xo,

My Story - Part 2

and Day 7 of the 12 Days of Textures 

Plus a peek inside my white room.....

Click HERE to read part 1 of my story.

As I sit here....I am thinking where  do I begin... my part 2 .... ? 
the.... 'things do get better'.... part of my story.

The story bits are a little blurry.... But yet I can pick out the main events and know that one thing happened for the sake of the next....and so on.

(I have to tell you.... piecing this together has been kinda hard......I've been working away at it over several days.... I hope you can follow along.....)

That dreadful night...the night of the phone call...the night that our world came crashing down.... was an end.....and it was also a beginning. It alone is a story to be told.... an incredible series of God-Guided steps....one thing happening in order for the next......

It truly amazes me when I look back on it all. It would have taken only one move to change the entire course. But it was like we were characters in a screen play....staying on script....but when it was over.... 

I felt no awe.... I felt no gratitude..... I felt loss, sadness, disappointment.....and I felt many dreams dying! 

That night lead to deep sadness.... my heart ached for my son, for our family..... We had to face his mistake.....He had to live with it. But little by little we made it through.

I would love to say it was one big transforming moment for our boy. But it really wasn't like that. It was eventual....slow.... and for me it was frustrating....really really frustrating. I wanted it to be something like you see on television....where the character wakes up and goes forth to change his life..... 

Nope.... not like TV at all!!

As awful as that night was...it had to happen. I know that now.... and I am thankful for it.

But, let's move forward..... from that night.... shall we?

thank you for the beautiful scarf, Meike...xo

My creativity started to flow........and flow and flow...... I suppose it had been locked up for so long....it just needed to get loose....and free......Pour on out of me....  Perhaps I was releasing all that built up pain and sadness through my art. 

I started painting again....  and I felt a pull to try new things.... I could not seem to paint the way I used to.... No more signs and folk art..... I discovered the world of mixed media and tried my hand at it...loved it...... But my publisher was not feeling it at all. They wanted me to continue making the art I had been making....but I wanted to grow and evolve.

In fact I couldn't make my old art....it just wouldn't come out.

Looking back....I know it was all  part of the greater plan. If they had embraced my 'new art'.... I would not have found my camera..... 

So thank you publisher.... thank you for saying no.....

Photography makes me feel complete. It feels right and real...and it feels like a part of me. I always loved to paint....but it never 'fit' like photography....

As they say....when one door closes...... 'sigh'
OH my... another door opens that is so much bigger and better and richer ......

My creativity was back.... our family was healing.... things were looking up! But, the past few years had taken their toll on us financially.... we were holding on tight.....

I needed to start rebuilding my business....or get a 'real job'(as some people like to say...)

I remember feeling very frustrated that I had to worry about money after all the turmoil we had already been through. It seemed so unfair! 

I couldn't imagine not making ART...... An artist must make ART....  

I had worked so damned hard to build a business... We had made it... I had paid my dues...(i thought)....But, the royalties were dwindling.... mix that with the economic decline...and it was bad!

I remember sitting here, in my studio....tears flowing..... and feeling terribly desperate...... I'm sure you know the feeling.... like, I can't do another day of this... I just can't! But I did.... we did....day by day.... little miracles kept allowing us to hang on....

'sigh'

So day after day I made art.... I shared on my blog.... I researched... I tried new things....

One day it hit me..... 'Kim, you have to stop focusing on the lack.......and focus on your blessings...and abundance.....start giving...sharing.... like you have more than enough to go around.'

I believe that shift was a turning point for me. My heart found gratitude..... which healed the anger and resentment...and hurt.... and the more I gave...the more grateful I felt..... 

Somewhere amongst all the other stuff going on, sometime before that night......... I realized that if I wanted to keep making art, I needed to learn how to use photoshop. Many artists were going digital. But I just couldn't get into it.... Just opening the program overwhelmed me. I could not believe I had spent $600 on a program that was just sitting there.....what a waste..... 

The whole blogging thing, made me much more interested in photography though. It seemed the most fabulous blogs had the best pictures. Up until then I was using my camera on auto to snap photos for my publisher. Now I was taking photos to share on my site. I knew they needed help. But I wasn't sure where to begin.

One day, I took my camera to the trail... I came home, uploaded the photos....and then ventured into photoshop. I decided to add a texture to a simple tree image...... and fell in love. I fell in love with the photos.....and the process.... It was like making art...right there on my screen. My direction changed that day. I may not have known it at the time...but it changed. 

I started learning my camera....and I started to really use photoshop. (finally I was putting that scary and very expensive program to use).... 

I tried a texture, than another...and another..... I remember posting my photos on flickr and being so excited when I went back and found comments on my pictures....and oh my gosh... Shutter Sisters choose one of my photos as the daily click.... And that is were my Shutter Sister Love began.

So I started to make art, with my photography and began sharing that on my site.

Somewhere along the way, I discovered the crazy awesome world of online classes..... I discovered the Mondo Beyondo eCourse. But there was no way I could afford to sign up!!I wanted to ....so bad...

Then one evening in December... I was just about to call it a night.... I jumped onto twitter.... someone had posted a link to a give away at Design Mom...for a spot in the Mondo Beyondo class!! I zipped over, entered a heart-felt comment.... and guess what.....I won... out of 500 plus people I won!! 

Another life changing event..... in the series of it all....

My plans were in motion.... I was going to do something with my photography. I just knew it! We just had to make it through. And somehow...we did. Little gifts kept coming....to allow us to hang in there. 

In 2010, I choose 'soar' as my one little word. And, soar I did. 

I started the Mondo Beyondo class in January..... It changed my life.
I made a Mondo Beyondo dream list.....and so many of those dreams have come true. I've since updated my Mondo Beyondo list with even bigger dreams.

I started teaching photoshop classes, and making and selling my textures. I just STARTED. I didn't have the luxury of waiting for the perfect time to begin, or waiting til I was ready. I had to START. Right there, where I was.

People began buying my textures, signing up for my classes and visiting my site. It was amazing.

There were many things on that first Mondo Beyondo list.... But I have to share one BIG one.... 

Remember I said I had fallen for Shutter Sisters....  I had also discovered Tracey Clark. I was in awe of her talent...and presence....her totally awesome everything. I had never spoken to her via comments, or postings...or email, but I loved her. I wrote on my mondo beyondo list:
Collaborate with Tracey Clark, .....those were the exact words....

And one year later... as I sat here on a Saturday night...in January 2011, my email beeped....I almost fell off my chair... the sender name was
Tracey Clark.....and thru a series of emails.... we agreed that I would be the newest Shutter Sister Contributor.

Seriously... I can't tell you how BIG that was! 

And it's because of that amazing Mondo Beyond dream, I traveled to California... I found the most incredible people who totally get me....I discovered dreams I didn't even know I had.... 'sigh'

My business blossomed. My beautiful readers not only helped me buy an iMac, they helped saved Ben's life. I mean can you imagine....??

There are so many things I could share....... but these are the 'main events'..... one thing leading to another and to another... 

I realize now... I was exactly where i was supposed to be at each moment..... and each moment lead me to this moment....
you know?

I now, make an awesome living teaching my classes and selling my textures. I get to make art, share art.... and connect with all of you....It really is a dream. 

The future has a whole series of bigger things ahead... pinch me things.... seriously, for real? things.... Umm, yes please!! I will totally do that! and that...and that... and Thank you God... I am truly blessed. 

What I know for sure...... I am exactly where I am supposed to be......right here...right now.... it's all a part of my journey..... and for that I am most thankful!

a Set of 3 Magic Textures to Try

Remember....the trick with the magic textures.... Screen Blend mode... :)

Click HERE to download today's set.

xo,