A dream coming true…

Dreams are illustrations… from the book your soul is writing about you.

~ Marsha Norman ~

Almost four years ago, when I saw our house for the very first time, I knew we would buy it. And when I saw the windows over the garage, I knew that, one day, I would have a studio there. I did.

The fact that there were no stairs to the someday studio didn’t bother me at the time. I just knew it would happen. Then our attention (and funds) were diverted into other areas. And others. And life went on like that, for a while. And my dream of a space to create in seemed to slip away. Other things had priority, the days went by, one after another. I believed, for a while, that I was wrong – that space that once seemed magical now was destined to house window screens and nothing more.

One day early last spring, I happened to stand in the same spot I stood in on my first visit. I gazed up and saw the windows, all over again. I saw myself with messy hair and brushes in both hands. And I knew it was time. The stairs, you may recall, were built last summer. Once they were in place, I did try to work in the raw space – now that it was, at least, accessible. It was pretty clear to me that it wasn’t going to work when I took the first three paintings out into the sunlight and realized that they were completely different than I had thought. I’m sure that, someday, they will stand in a museum gallery all by themselves, labeled “Christa Gallopoulos – The Dark Period”! Honestly, the lack of light, presence of floating insulation and inability to stop wiping the sweat from my brow just didn’t inspire much creativity.

So here we go – thanks to the support of my very patient husband and the encouragement of many, construction started a few days ago. With any luck, I’ll be up there every minute I can find in between the Spring Tour trips. I can’t wait.

Here’s what I want you to know. Several years ago, I thought I had no creative abilities and literally slashed my own paintings. I never picked up my camera except for school basketball games. And anything I wrote got stuck away in a drawer or shredded. Truly.

The growth and healing in exploring all kinds of creative expression I have experienced personally is just huge – and now I get to watch others find the same gifts. I am so grateful for all of it. And so glad I followed my dreams. What I once found laughable, I now see as a path, lit up and welcoming me, showing me the way home to myself.

I hope you can see yours, too. Follow it. It will lead you right back to who you really are. The world needs your gifts, and so do you.