"this is your destiny"

when i was an art major in college, i went to school with many other artists who did not have the support of their parents. i don't mean financial support. i mean emotional support. so many of my friends at school had parents who completely disagreed with their decision to pursue a career in art for all the reasons all artists are familiar with. you'll be a starving artist. you won't be famous until your dead. you should go for a more practical type of job. and so on and so on. 

i remember feeling so sorry for them and so surprised to hear this, because in my house it was so different. i couldn't ever imagine my mom not supporting my dream to be an artist. she was and still is the person who most believed in what i could do with my art. even when i made a 12 year detour and became a hairstylist. as successful as i was in the salon, she always was that person who never let me ignore what my heart really wanted. my mom is my biggest cheerleader to this day. i see such happiness in her face when she sees a new painting i've just done. it's not an "i like your painting" kind of happiness, its more of a peace that i know she has inside because i'm fulfilling my dream.

this little painting goes to my mom for always guiding me in the direction of my destiny.