Starting Over

The longer we live, the harder it is to consider going back to the beginning.  Just like getting good at failing, you can be good at starting over; they both go hand in hand.  We tend to reinvent ourselves several times in our life. Injuries, divorce, career changes, death of a loved one, finances; all of these things can force us to take a second look at our life path and take a new route.  The older we are, the longer we have been at something; the more frightening it is to start over.  First of all, let's look at the term "start over".  We are never starting completely over.  Our experiences from the path we are leaving, always give us a better footing on the new path.  Maybe we have established personnel skills now that we didn't have when we really began in our teens.  We might have better financial skills, we definitely have better endurance.  We can recognize problems that are coming ahead because past experiences have clued us in to signs.  We can recognize those signs and also remember what solutions we used in other situations.

Another thing that happens is renewed energy.  Starting over brings new hopes and excitement into your life (if you let it).  You do need to allow optimism to come in but it is always a possibility.  That new energy gives you new ideas and can push you farther down the new path and send you in new directions.  I am a part of an organization that just recently lost 2 of its long-time employees.  It wasn't because they hated the job, one was given a chance she just couldn't turn down and the other had to retire.  Not the best timing but that is the way things go.  As an organization, we were shoved into a bit of disarray but, it created an opportunity for our organization.  There was restructuring that could take place and give us the chance to hopefully set us up for a future.  Is it scary? yes.  I learned the difference between the words indispensable and irreplaceable.  The ladies were not indispensable, but they are both irreplaceable, we miss them every day but, the two that have replaced them are amazing in their own ways and so incredibly excited; they have us excited too.

I'm starting over a bit too.  I am changing my inventory and letting go of my smaller pieces.  I want to be taken more seriously so I am going with a more serious size.  I have relied on my 8x10s and 11x14s, but they have filled my display.  There hasn't been any room for big pieces, the smallest I am going to do now is 16x20.  This decision is also influenced by the fact that fewer people are using suede mat for mounting their art.  That makes my preferred surface more expensive and harder to get. That makes my preferred surface more expensive and harder to get.    I am making prints now too.  It may not sound like a huge difference to the layman but for me it changes my surfaces, my mounting and my display.  It is also a new format for me to work with in sales.

The lesson to be learned here is that you can start over, you are capable of doing so.  Have some faith in yourself, find the courage and begin again.  Find a new spouse, start a new career, try something new; there is something about creating a new season of spring in your life.  As long as you are on the right side of the grass, you can begin again.