Work Like Crazy and Dream BIG!!!

It's crazy how some things come to be simply by making connections and talking with people, both friends and strangers alike. 

Just last week, my mom and I were in town picking up a few Christmas gifts in a favorite little local shop.  We were chatting it up with the nice young lady at the counter and she began telling us all about this incredible calligraphy seminar that she had just attended a week prior.

Totally bummed that I had just missed an opportunity, I decided to be optimistic by checking out the teacher this lady studied under and looked into future opportunities.  

For the record, I LOVE all things crafty, creative, and artsy!!!

To express how deep my love for art is..... when I was a child, my mom always kept an entire 7 foot tall dresser fully stocked with all sorts of craft mediums.  Needles, thread, wax, craft paper, glue guns, stencils, pencils, pads of paper, every day I was in my glory!!!!

(thanks mom for saving some of my childhood creations in a cute little hello kitty book)

And ever since then, not much has changed in my love for crafting, other than the realization that I can share my love with the world and make money in the process. 

 Double score, yes?!?! 

And then.... this is where social media comes in!

I love social media and the positive bridges and connections it can build.

I immediately started following the Calligrapher, Molly Jacques on instagram and a few days later a

new and exciting opportunity presented itself.

"Growing your creative career with Molly Jacques"

A few train tickets later and a trip into the city with my mom and sisters and we were IN on a new adventure together.

It was time to get in there and learn more about how to grow a career out of the things that you are passionate about.  In the end, I learned a lot in just a short evening.

Way to kick start things with one of my favorite C.S. Lewis quotes!

 It was great, Molly really took her time with us after her workshop answering our questions and telling us more about her life and career and how she got to be where she is today.  What an inspiring young lady!

Molly talked about how you should engage your audience through social media and that it's not about how many "likes" you get, but really engaging your followers through staying in touch with followers, answering comments and e-mails and responding to people's questions. 

 Her advice to really make sure you connect with your audience was inspiring and personally motivating.  It spurred me on to be better at connecting with people both through blogging and in person.  It's about the simple importance and courtesy of responding to people in a timely fashion.  This can be tough for me sometimes and there are days when I completely drop the ball, but I'm always striving to be better.

 Why not top off the adventure in the city with a trip to a new restaurant?!?!

A lemon pear martini....yes please!

 Ahhh The Burger Bar had the yummiest burgers around.  Just make sure to come really hungry if you want to make a dent in your burger!!!

A few highlights that I walked away with that evening were....
-be nice to people
-write thank you notes
-embrace your love/hate relationship with emails
-meet deadlines
-manage time
-use original content
-use good photos, or videos even, they engage in a new and fresh way
-make it your career
"if you build it, they will come" field of dreams
-figure out exactly what you want to do

My roommate in college always told me this one, "DREAM BIG, DREAM BIG GIRLFRIEND!!!"
and
 I always loved when she would say this cause it would always pump me up!

Check out Molly Jacques and her beautiful work!  This woman truly has a gift and talent and enjoys sharing her love with those around her.