Dream Killers vs Dream Catchers

This post was originally written March 16, 2018

There are certain people you encounter in life who listen to you share the desires of your heart, mirror back to you those dreams, and encourage you to pursue the thing you most want to do. And then there are those who will, for one reason or another, speak words of discouragement to your dreams, giving you bits of their own "wisdom" which feels like someone just rained all over your beautiful parade of creativity. They cause you to doubt your sanity for being so audacious as to think you could ever achieve beyond what you are currently capable of doing. I call the former Dream Catchers. Your heart is safe with them. The latter are more like Dream Killers, and it isn't always easy to know the difference until it is too late. Looking back over the last few decades, building my career as an artist, I have encountered both dream catchers and dream killers, maybe you have too.

This week the official announcement was released, I am the excited and proud recipient of the Racine Art Museum Artists Fellowship, one of four awarded this honor every other year. When I first moved to Wisconsin, the call had gone out for the 2016 RAM Fellowship and in my enthusiasm I applied without hesitation. You may remember me sharing about the nicest rejection letter I ever received, in which the director had enthused how much they loved my work and that I had been a strong contender. Hands down, I thought, I would apply again the next time around. 

Over the course of the past two years, I encountered a few of those dream killers, who shared with me the impossibility of someone like me ever receiving this award, I simply wasn't qualified. I have encountered this kind of talk before and usually don't give it much merit, but I have to admit, this time it got to me. It very nearly kept me from even trying. Fortunately I encountered more Dream Catchers, two of which gave me a pep talk outside my studio door and then a friendly nudge the day before the application was due. 

Well I already shared the outcome with you, if not for those Dream Catchers, I wouldn't be writing about this today. But it gave me pause to think, how often am I the one who dismisses my own dreams before I even try? As a visual artist, it is easy to become isolated in our own studios and even our own head space. I am grateful I have a community of like minded artists and dreamers to check in with and encourage me to keep going.