A few days back I wrote about dreams and the importance of setting goals so that you and I can realize those dreams.
Now I’m writing about ‘stepping back’. Seems to be a contradiction, right?
Well, not really.
It’s necessary to step back now and then to assess if our goals are on track or do we need to make some changes? Is a little ‘tweeking’ needed?
After I came back from Paris in October, I was all fired up. Inspired, excited but also exhausted. As soon as I stepped off the plane in Sydney I got hit by all our springtime pollen which eventually led to me being sick with asthma and chest infections for about six weeks.
All the motivation, energy and inspiration gradually seeped away. I was ‘re-entering the atmosphere of the real world!
I pushed myself hard in the studio, even though I was ill, working on five different paintings. Swapping from one to the other as each was put aside to dry in between layers of mixed media.
I was like someone possessed! Desperate to get my ideas down on to canvas before they evaporated into thin air. What if I got hit with ‘artists block’? Dread of dreads!
I didn’t get hit with artists block…. but I did get hit with exhaustion.
It was time to step back and have a fresh look at what I was doing and why.
Was I enjoying my art or had it now become a ‘job’?
It was time to reset my goals. What was my dream? How do I eat an elephant?
Oh yeh, that’s right…. one bite at a time! Not all in one day!
Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither are your dreams. A day at a time, bit by bit.
Stop and take time to smell the roses. Love the people in your life and tell them as often as possible. Spend time with good friends, remember to laugh each day. Take care of yourself and learn to love who you are…after all, you have to be with you all the time, so you might as well enjoy your own company 
And don’t forget to dream and dream big…then set your goals to achieve those dreams. But remember, one day at a time, bit by bit.
Ciao for now
Liv @ Olivia Alexander Fine Art
