I have a friend that I see occasionally down at the local pub; I won’t mention his name but he’s a very intelligent nice bloke. He remembers the first time five years ago when I sat at the bar with him and told him about my dream to create a TV show about artists that would be beamed across TV stations all across the world.
2. Don’t Be Afraid of Setbacks
Back then, I had a number of people I spoke to about this dream and at the time they all seemed very keen to be a part of my idea. However life and people don’t always go to plan. They all balked and pulled out when they saw how much effort would have to go into making this work.
3. Don’t Be Afraid to Work Hard
No matter, it was my dream and only I was going to make it happen. Most folks I have met on my journey across the world have been good, genuine people that have all had their own dreams about what they would like to have happen in their lives. Unfortunately for most of them, they only ever just dream about it. Actually making a dream come true takes great sacrifice and an unswerving dedication to the mission ahead.
4. See Obstacles as Challenges
Mariam Paré – Artist, Mouth Painter
A great example of getting past obstacles to reach your dream is Mariam Pare, a Chicago Artist, who, due to an unfortunate accident when she was young, became disabled.
In the time I have known Mariam, speaking with her on Skype and following her journey across America, I have seen a woman that to me is the embodiment of dedication and courage. Mariam is a mouth painter, and as you can see by the photos on her website www.mariampare.com how amazing her work is, Mariam paints with some of the leading celebrities in the world. Not only that, she is a public speaker and a young woman that gives her time to help many others to see past their own disabilities. I am absolutely in awe of this woman, and am so excited to meet her in December.
5. Never Stop Improving Yourself
Hajra Meeks – Artist
Another great example is Hajra Meeks. When I first spoke to Hajra via Skype a while back, I had to just shake my head when I heard of her achievements. Not just with her art career but with her academic career as well. Hajra is one of those really, really intelligent people that changes the world through her own determination.
This is just a brief outline of her achievements.
- Bachelor’s degree in Physics from the University of San Francisco
- Masters degree in International History (with distinctions) from the London School of Economics and Political Science
- A masters level Certificate in Children’s Books from the Vermont college of Fine Arts
- She was a top rated university lecturer at the University of California and taught subjects such as International History, Art and Architecture and Calculus for four years
Her great passion always has been her art and she, even in that time of learning and teaching, was developing her art to the extent that now she is a practicing professional artist exhibiting in a number of galleries and varying institutes across America. And she is only in her thirties! Check her work on her website www.hajrameeks.com.
6. Never Stop Dreaming
This blog is about some of the amazing artists that we have coming on board for our American tour that are not afraid to dream and take action in their lives. YES, we are heading to the states in December to begin filming, and the response has been just wonderful.
I asked Mariam & Hajra if I could talk briefly about who they are. To say that these ladies are just unbelievable human beings would be an understatement, and to have their youthful input into the series is just amazin. These are just two young women that believed in their dreams and worked hard to get them.
They see the value of what we are doing and with them on board this will only become better and stronger very quickly. We are all achieving our dreams and continuing to dream even bigger.
I wonder what you will do today to start achieving your dreams?
I will write more about the other folks we have coming on board in the next few weeks and will talk more about the other artists as we go along; some really amazing people are joining us for the first trip. I hope you all continue to support and join us on this wonderful adventure and Put Some Colour In Your Life.
~ Graeme Stevenson OAM