I’ve had some great response to my post, “They Fear your Success.” The one that got me thinking and reflecting more upon that post was one from my friend Sarah* over on FB:

I heard the best quote recently about women in the workplace in regards to sexism and men: "men don't give power to each other, they take it. if you want power, take it." i think that thought really works with many aspects of life and following dreams…we have to take it, own it and make it…

Frankly her thought and quote does work with the workplace and following your dreams.

As I’ve followed my dream and passion I’ve worked really hard. It’s not easy to do an online class, keep a blog, or set time aside for the studio. In fact it’s a lot of damn hard work. It takes organizational skills, the effort to make it work, drive, and ambition. Without the drive and the ambition I’d not be where I am, doing one class per semester period and gambling what one could say is a good stable job for something that may have a questionable future. Let’s face it everyone who reads this blog, buys my journals or takes my classes might decide I’m a donkey and stop. And this dream I’m working on could all come crashing down.

Let me tell you what my dream is, define it and put it out there: My dream is to teach art online, work on my master’s degree, and paint. It’s simple until you look at the future extended out from that. Can I make ends meet teaching online art classes? Maybe, I know several people who do and I think I can do it too. I have an art show coming up, my first since college graduation, which pisses me off and fills me with excitement at the same time. The master’s degree can be worked on while I’m working on classes and the show. My ETA for entry is fall 2012. I have plans for the degree. I want to teach art in person too, perhaps an adjunct teaching position, perhaps some workshops. Who knows?

What I DO know right now is that teaching these art classes, online, which my coworker dismissed so carelessly, makes me happy. I love doing it. Besides art it’s one of the few things that really make me happy.

And that’s the core of what my coworker was getting at, my happiness, dismissing it. Dismissing the online aspect of what I do is, well, it’s just stupid, empty headed and without thought. An online job is a job, regardless of being self employed or getting paid.  (As Sarah more succinctly stated.)

Some people are afraid of the happiness of others; it forces them to examine their own misery, unhappiness and regrets.  I can’t give my coworker happiness but I can strive forward toward mine.

*Sarah and I went to HS and one semester of college together.

There is always room for faux latin.