Dying Dreams

My heart just dropped.

While perusing the blog of an artist, I read the following:

I just got a retail job. I feel like my life is really over.

Well, that seems a bit exaggerated and dramatic, don't you think? In today's economy, a job is a job! Shouldn't this person be grateful to have any job at all? Well, yes. Let me back up a little, first. This artist was not a spoiled brat bemoaning the fact that they have to work like everyone else. They were frustrated with the fact that their passion, their art, had to fall by the wayside to make room for reality. Instead of focusing on their gifting, on what they were made to do, they were despairing because they felt their dreams were withering away.When I saw that one line of script running across the page, my heart just dropped. I've been there. I have friends who still are there. What do you do when you are gifted in something, but can't break through. You can't get your head above water, and your dreams are the first things to die.

Here's another story: A very dear friend of mine is a fantastic film editor. She's got a brilliant mind for plot structure, character development, and the general flow of a great story. We met in Italian class Junior year, and spent many rainy Saturdays curled up with her roommates in a nest of blankets watching the BBC and eating nachos. I know, college is the best, isn't it? When this friend graduated (with honors), she hit the same wall known to many of us: unemployment. As we chatted online over the last few months, we both wondered what would become of our art. Do we abandon it? Do we just chuck the dreams to the wind, and settle into a nice cubicle like the rest of the world? Do we keep fighting?

Well, we both had our share of odd jobs since graduation, but I'm thrilled to report that this week she sent me the best text.

I GOT THE JOB AT NBC!!!!!!!!
That's right. NBC. Praise Jesus for jobs that pay the bills, and fuel the imagination! She's now in the field and company she wants, and they are encouraging her to continue working on her own projects. YES!

So, what is your point, Samantha? Only this: If economy, doubt, despair, fear, or the daily sting of rejection start to erode at the dreams you spent a lifetime building, FIGHT BACK. I mean it. Unless God is obviously shutting the door on an opportunity, you forge ahead. Today, I just got my first rejection letter from a literary agent. There will be more, I promise you. How do you deal with this?

It's like walking forward in a blizzard. You cannot see where you are going, and cold bits of rejection are going to hit you in the face. Harsh winds are going to try to blow you backwards, but none of it can halt the will of God. If God wants you to move forward, rally up some determination and keep walking. If you have to take that cubicle job to afford utilities, food, and heat, then do it. Practice your art until the wee hours; that's what coffee's for, baby! Prioritize your schedule, cut things that don't matter! Do it, and don't despair. The world is overflowing with people who have despaired and buried dreams for silly reasons like fear and doubt. If God's given you a gift, you are obligated, charged, and required to use it...or bury it in fear.

In an effort to encourage artists to keep on doing what they love, I'm going to be conducting and featuring interviews with young artists. Feel free to recommend artists (yourself included) that I should talk to.

LOVE

P.S. This is a great song --> Down by Mat Kearney