Green and Orange Explorer

12 x 13 x 6

stoneware paperclay

2022

private collection

I’ve always had a back up plan

Just in case things went wrong, there was always a plan b.

It started in college when I was studying art, my mom said to me:

“Maybe you should get a teaching degree, just in case.”

It happened again when I opened my own business, those first few years,

I worked all day in my gallery then waitressed at night and on weekends.

In business I kept the contract work, the assembly-line frame jobs that made me feel more factory worker than creator, because I knew it would help ‘keep the light on’.

But I slowly began to realize that all those back-up plans were not the safety nets I thought they were.

They kept me feeling safe, but they were really holding me back.

I was not taking any chances.

I was not trusting my abilities.

I was not exploring my dreams.

I realized my fear of failure had become bigger than my fear of never following a dream.

So I tossed away my back-up plans and gave myself permission to follow my dreams.