The Missing Puzzle Piece.

6/8/2010 - An unexpectedly profound Tuesday.

Sometimes the answers to life’s most burning questions are not found in foreign lands. They are actually right under our noses. Who knew that a regular visit home to see my mother would lead to such therapeutic self-discovery. 

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I think the drive home on Rt. 2 started it. There’s something about being in cars alone on the open road- that lends itself to thinking. And since I’m kind of going through a life change, my thinking is better categorized as “Life Planning.” Should I take Road #1 or Path 2 or Exit B??

Yea what went on in my head was something like that. One of my miraculous ideas was to enter a Levi’s girl video contest. That night I barely slept because I was so busy plotting and writing the script. Which also got me thinking about the art business idea, since I’m talking about it in my video.

When I awoke the next day, the biggest lightbulb moment hit me. If I am going to go forward with my business, I have to go visit my middle school art teacher- Mrs. Malin. I quickly searched on the internet for the school’s website and looked under art teachers, and sure enough there she was. I was amazed that she was still teaching art. Next I looked at the date and the time and realized school must be in session. I got all nervous and giddy then. Like the cliche kind of butterflies nervous people get in chick flicks.

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I got in my car and drove down to Bolton center. All of a sudden, the same roads of my hometown appeared foreign to me. As I headed to the school, the middle-school Lucy took over. My surroundings looked so new and different. 

When I finally saw Mrs. Malin, she looked a lot different than I remembered. She looked younger…I barely recognized her. The classroom was exactly the same though. The art tables were just a bit shorter to me now. 

We looked at each other and I couldn’t help but hug her and cry. I started blurting out all that had happened in my life over the last 10 years- how I had forgotten about my art- how I found the sketchbook she gave me- how I ended up in advertising. Joyce sympathized. “You mean you got lost in a career?” I nodded.

“I have been teaching art for over 20 years and you know something? I still love my job every day.” 

I am pretty lucky I am only twenty four. I don’t have to know exactly what I’m going to do for the rest of my life. I don’t have to. What I learned about myself through this spontaneous visit was how important art is to me. I shared with Joyce my idea for the studio art bar and she seemed to genuinely like it. We agreed to meet for lunch next month when school is out.

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The drive back to my apartment in the city was soothing. I felt a surge of vitality. The night was placid.

My business now has a heartbeat. A deeper purpose and connection to the living world. As we grow older, we forget about the little kid version of ourselves. I want to help other adults reconnect with their creative side. Even if they believe their career is already creative, it doesn’t hurt to continue playing. Drawing, sketching, writing, painting. These activities are still fun…why not make it a social outing in the context of a bar?

@1 year ago