Big Ideas.

I am an idea person.  It's kind of a joke at my gallery among my instructors.  I come up with super fun class ideas, topics, projects, etc., the instructors like the ideas and then I say, 'okay....who wants to teach it?'.  Because I am the idea person......not the executer.

And I like it that way.  I enjoy being a thinker.  I'm not a philosopher, mind you.  I don't have deep thoughts.  Nothing I think up is going to save the world.  But I can come up with some wicked art class ideas.  And ideas to further the gallery.  And that's my talent.

I'm not sure if I ever told the story about how I obtained my gallery.  I used to have my work hanging in a little place that wasn't doing very well and the owner asked If I could take it and make it work.  I said yes.  He handed me the keys.  And just like that, I owned a gallery.

Now, I had no freaking idea how to run a gallery or run any business, for that matter.  But, I knew that I was an idea person.  Up until that time, no one, including me, had ever had any faith in my ideas.  My ideas were mostly just daydreams.  But here was my chance!!!  And I took it.  And not one person, except my husband, supported me in my endeavor.  It was crazy, that's why.  And no one in their right mind would have told me it was a good idea.  With good reason, of course.  It was crazy.

I have been told on multiple occasions that I am crazy (and that was before anyone read any of my blogposts!).  And one person capped it off with, 'but....crazy seems to work for you.'

Now, let's not get any ideas about my gallery being a wild success.  I certainly am never going to be the sole bread winner of my house.  And I've had lot's of ideas that I followed through on that fell flat.  But I always had the feeling that with a little tweaking....or better timing....or someone besides me implementing......it would work.   Sometimes they do.  Sometimes they don't

But.....when people come up to me on the street and thank me for opening Sanctuary.....that it is a huge part of Davidson....I smile.  When people tell me they come to Sanctuary first to buy a gift.....I smile.  When people tell me that the classes we offer are far better than ones they have been to before or that our instructors are the best or that their kids would rather be at Sanctuary than at home.....I laugh!

Because I am just the idea person.  It's the artists, the instructors and the people I hire who make the gallery amazing.  You have to have good people around you to bring your ideas into reality.  Sorry for the cliche....but no man is an island.  Not even the idea man.

Ideas begin as a seed.  A very tiny, tiny seed.   If you never follow your heart and believe in your ideas, you will never see the seed grow.  Never.  And how sad that would be.

My girls spit and dumped watermelon seeds off my porch earlier this summer.  Little tiny seeds.

Just look what happens when little seeds.....big ideas......get their chance in the sun.

So spit those ideas off your porch and jump in!