Happy Birthday Dad!

My dad always wanted to have land for family to enjoy. Horses came into our lives when my sisters got the bug. My parents were clueless what they were getting into but jumped in wholeheartedly and loved seeing us enjoy them and the land. Though I think he did have second thoughts, wondering how he ended up washing a horses ass at 5 in the morning before our horse shows. Thanks dad, you were a great sport!

One of my favorite stories of Dad as a young boy is him taking a math test where he had to add and subtract squares and draw the correct number of squares for the answers. Time is up and little Randy only got halfway through his test. However when the teacher sees he has the answers he completed correct she notices that all his squares are meticulously drawn as this was the real focus of his attention – so she takes it easy on him. This epitomizes my dad’s achilles heel – striving for perfection, sometime to the detriment of getting the task at hand completed.

I learned early I too have this gene and can spend hours laboring over details that are often unnecessary. I’ve tried to harness and control my perfectionism, and not let it drive me crazy. With my art the hardest part is knowing when to stop. I’ve learned it is more important to get it done than labor over reaching an unreachable “perfection”. Art is meant to be shared with others and technical quality comes second. I try to remember this when painting so I don’t stop myself before I get started.

When I was very young we had an assignment to learn what our dad’s occupation was. I asked and he smiled – then I learned how to say, spell and define “Entrepreneur”. I found this can encompass any number of creative ways to make money and though it’s a lot of work, there are many benefits to having your own business. The seed was planted and I took an entrepreneurial class in college. Even the best 9-5 jobs didn’t quite satisfy me, and though the road has had many bumps, it has been so gratifying to work day and night to bring my projects to fruition.  No one said this was easy. I know Dad has had second thoughts about raising me to be a strong independent young woman who can do anything I want, as it backfired on him and has lead me too many miles away from the safe haven of home. But of all the hats I wear – I am proud to call myself an entrepreneur.