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| Anna Arnold at Josaphat Arts Hall, May 2011 |
May 18, 2011 - On yesterday's rainy, gray cloudless day, I visited a craft store and was energized by the sight of beautiful new glass beads in an array of brilliant colors and styles. Standing there before strands of hundreds of beads, my head quickly filled with themes for my new WyldSyde necklaces. I started a jewelry company back in the winter because people always admire the beaded necklaces I wear when I am out, had been thinking about it for a couple years and had about a ton of gorgeous beads to use. Why not? Famous Amos said, 'Don't wait until everything is perfect, just get started!'
Even as a little girl, I was always thinking and teachers often caught me staring off and daydreaming. Get focused Head in the Clouds Girl. As I got older, sometimes people would say things like, 'You're such a nice girl. Why can't you be like the other girls? Just make it easier on yourself. Stop thinking about all of that stuff and just fit in? Why do you want so much in life? You're a nice looking girl-- why do you have to be so deep? Guys don't care about any of that stuff. You want too much in life. It's sad because you'll be all alone. Why do you want to be an artist? You can't make a living from that hobby.' But I kept thinking, 'What if?' and putting plans into action.
As a child, as early as 5 years old, I knew that my purpose in life is to be an artist. Fortunately, my parents rescued me by recognizing something in me very early- a talent, an all-consuming desire to be an artist, a quiet rebelliousness. When I was a kid, a girl wanting to be an artist "like Picasso" made as much sense as a girl growing up to be an astronaut or a race car driver. My parents nurtured me, encouraged me, supported me, guided me, kept me on course and convinced other parents and relatives that being as artist was someone that I would certainly become. Sure, I had friends and played but I also liked to go off to myself to draw or write or to think "big thoughts" while lying on the grass gazing up at the cloud shapes shifting endlessly in the blue sky. It was all a big mystery up there but somewhere up there was the answer to everything. I still love looking at the clouds.
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| November sunset by Anna Arnold 2010 |
I know I am alive to help make things better somehow through art and education. All of my experiences and all of the people I have met and encountered have molded me into the active and inquisitive woman I am today. What can I innovate in the areas of art and education? Who can I join forces with to help to invent something to help make people's lives better, more productive or more enjoyable? What small thing can I do to help ignite change in the world? What is the best and most effective ways that I can help educate people with the knowledge that I have?
I am forever a dreamer and I guess you can say that my head is still in the clouds.There is still so much more for me to share and accomplish. So much more growing to do and many many more things to work toward becoming a reality. As James Allen wrote, "Dreams are the seedlings of realities."
