Sometimes in life, we are gifted with moments when everything changes within us.
Perhaps these changes aren’t noticeable on the outside. Perhaps they aren’t noticeable to others; but to us, on the inside, everything is different.
Last May, I had one of those moments. It began while driving through the mountains of Japan. It was late. My family was asleep, and I was clutching the steering wheel, trying to keep my eyes focused on the narrow road ahead of me so that I could drive safely out the other side of a long 14 km tunnel. As the lights blurred and whipped past me, I found myself thinking that everything would be different when I came out the other side.
It’s hard to describe how intense that thought became in the five minutes or so that I spent driving through that tunnel, but when I finally saw the exit, a pitch-black space in the middle of the tunnel’s dull, yellowish lights, I really felt like I was approaching a new reality.
Speeding from the tunnel, I raced out into the dark mountain night exhilarated and expectant.
A logo that I made for Voluntary Japan.
The next day,
at the Greenroom Festival in Yokohama, I again had something of a mystical experience.
With my son on my shoulders, I got lost in the space-less, time-less music of the Allah-Las. When I say space-less and time-less, I mean that there was something about the music of the Allah-Las in that particular place and at that particular time that made me feel like I wasn’t connected to any specific place or any specific time. Instead, I felt like I was existing in a single, infinite moment that contained all of time and a multitude of realities.
While being completely present, the experience was somehow disembodying.
A design I submitted in the hopes of raising money for a new skate park.
Later that night,
back at a friend’s house in Saitama, I pulled out a festival brochure and started looking through it. One of the featured artists, Matthew Allen, stood out to me. I had seen him earlier that day, multiple times. Wherever I went, wherever I looked, for whatever reason, my eyes seemed to land on him. Curious, I looked up his artwork online.
That’s when it happened.
People talk about those moments in their lives, moments when they just knew something, moments when they knew they had just met the person they would marry, moments when they suddenly realized what their life calling was.
When I opened Matthew Allen’s website, I had one of those moments. Instantly, a bolt of energy shot through me. YES! I felt myself shouting inwardly.
THIS!
IS!
IT!
This is what I want to do!
A word I like saying to new opportunities and challenges these days.
Since that night ten months ago,
I have been drawing every day, working on designs, playing with illustration software, dabbling in photo shop, doing things that deep down I had wanted to do for years but, for whatever reason, could never act on.
To anybody out there not feeding your passion, stop what you’re doing right now and make a change. It doesn’t have to be much. Five minutes a day can get you started, but you need to start now.
The longer you delay, the longer you postpone your own fulfillment. And if you’re not fulfilled, chances are the people around you won’t be fulfilled either.
Feed your passion. Do it for yourself. Do it for your family. Do it for your friends. Do it for the world.
If you’d like to support me, please follow me on Instagram for daily ‘Live to Love. Love to Live” reminders, and/or drop by my TeeSpring shop to buy some original ‘Live to Love. Love to Live’ merchandise. Many Thanks!!!
Thanks, @qurator. I appreciate the encouragement.
Hi man, you are here?! Long time no see, I hop everything is alright. I just happened to stop by at Steem yesterday and noticed some big changes here. Apparently you are busy doing some great stuff, wishing you the biggest suggest you can imagine!
I know it's not the best timing, but hopefully we can catch up when things get a bit smoother around us!
Yeah, it would be great to catch up at some point. It’s definitely been too long.
I’ve been keeping an on eye on Steemit and now Hive, but for the longest time I didn’t have anything I wanted to write. Instead, I’ve been focusing on this design thing. Recently, though, I reached a place where I’ve wanted to share the things I’ve been working in and try taking this hobby, among others things, to the next level.
Wow, good for you man. I’ll need to take a look at your shop!
Please do. For the time being, I'm not following the advice of all the people who claim to be successful at this. Rather than offer a bunch of different themes and slogans, I'm keeping to a very narrow theme with this shop. I know it won't be for everyone, but I think it's a good way to get my feet wet with all of this before branching out. Plus, I feel really connected to the saying 'Live to love. Love to Live' right now.
Congratulations dude. I know the feeling and it's exhilarating, liberating, just make sure it's not a brain tumor or the likes.
Good to see you back. Hope the family is doing well in these challenging times. Designs look cool and very fitting to the Japanese market. Best of luck.
Well, if it is a brain tumor, I guess I'll just keep and learn to live with it;-) That's what Tony Robbins has apparently been doing for years.
Thanks for the encouragement. I'm trying figure out whether I should order some inventory and try to set up shop over here from home and by placing some items in a few stores, or if I should find a POD company over here and use that approach. I hope to have that figured out by the end of April.
We're all well. How are things on your end? How about with your family over here?