I am sacrificing and risking wildly to follow my path of dreams: To be a great artist, a great writer.
I am “following my bliss.”
But it doesn’t always feel blissful.
What do we do when the path to our dreams gets really tough? How do we keep going? Should we keep going?
The Last Time I Followed My Bliss I Got Shattered
The last time I chose to follow my bliss was when I applied to graduate school for music. I was 27 years old and had been accepted to a prestigious arts school, CalArts, on a partial scholarship.
I was considered a unique talent, a rising star. I had gotten all kinds of accolades in college.
Music was the thing I loved more than anything in the world.
Did everything magically fall into place for me?
No. I leapt, but the net did not appear.
The result was one of the most scarring experiences of my life.
I spent nine months in a deep depression and dropped out after my first year.
For nine years after that, I was unable to play or write music, nine excruciating years of separation from the thing I love most.
I came out with $14,000 of debt that took me 10 years to pay off. And I’ve never regained my music to the degree it was in my life.
The costs were real and huge.
Were there upsides? Yes.
The Lotus That Emerged From the Muck
Out of that experience, I found profound inner healing, amazing tools and work that I love. I found incredible teachers and life-saving teachings, deep community and my heart path.
Best of all, I found myself, my true self.
I began to feel immensely better in my life and, slowly, to create a life more beautiful than what I had dreamed.
I also learned how to cultivate my life-long passion for writing and protect it from the inner demons that had sabotaged my music. This has been amazing.
And it led to my teaching, which has been a miracle in my life.
Why Do I Tell You All This?
- I want you to know what the path of dreams is really like. That way, you are better equipped to walk your own. The path is full of surprises. Your dreams will test you and push you. But it is so that you can grow into the fullness of who you truly are.
- I’m following my dream in a big, risky way, and I am quaking in my shoes. So, I am reaching out to you, my tribe.
Is it all magically falling into place this time?
Not yet. Not hardly. I am being tested like crazy.
Some days the lack of results, money, recognition are so intense it seems like I should just give up. (Other days there are wonderful, exciting glimmers of progress.)
But I have to do it. It’s what my heart yearns for so deeply. It’s what my soul will not rest without.
What I need is more community, more support. What I need is you.
No One Can Do This Alone
If we want a world of art, beauty, creativity, imagination…
If we want a world of wonder and heart…
we have to band together.
When I was at CalArts, I was way too alone, and it cost me. I don’t want to make that mistake again.
A big life dream cannot be achieved alone.
Yet artists are often solitary creatures and it’s hard for us to ask for what we need.
Today, I am asking you. I am reaching out to invite you to join me on Patreon.
There’s real magic that can happen when we come together like this, and I would love for you to experience that magic.
What Is Patreon?
Patreon is a community of those who believe in art and its value. It works on the principle of gift exchange.
My Patreon page is a place where I share my creative process and artistic journey in an intimate way. My patrons get first-access to my new artistic creations.
You get an insider view, a front row seat to how this creative life really works. These are things I don’t share anywhere else.
And it’s a place for you to show your appreciation for what I do, to be a patron of the arts, in a very cool way. For as little as $3. That’s what’s very cool about it.
Would you take a moment to check out my Patreon page and find out what it’s about? (I think you’ll be inspired!)
We Have to Create the World We Wish to Inhabit
I’d love to share with you how I make the things I make, how I get them out in the world, how I deal with the challenges of the path.
And I really do need more support.
This isn’t just about me making a living, though that’s vital to my being alive on the earth and making beautiful, astonishing things and continuing to share with you through this blog.
As an artist, I need people who want to see what I create, who are eager for deep heart and soul nourishment, for beauty, grace, wonder and connection.
I need art-lovers who know the value of such intangibles as poetry, music, dance and want to foster these in our world.
Are you one? Just check it out and see: Patreon.com/MaximaKahn
With thanks and love,
Maxima
