Today’s shared story comes from Eileen Nishi, a photographer based in the USA, who has made some bold choices to allow her to do what she loves. Eileen was one of the first people to share their story, back in March 2011 soon after we launched the series. You can read her original post here. She is back to tell us how her story has unfolded since then. This story is a testament to what can happen when you truly commit to something you are passionate about.
In April 2011 I was not, in fact doing what I loved. I had attended Squam Art Workshops several months before, which had opened my heart and soul to knowing I was meant to do something bigger and more creative with my life – and I talked about this in my first *Shared Stories* post. In reality though, I was working full time at a job that was sucking my soul, while I dreamt of being a full time photographer and artist.
Since I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to get from Point A (my current reality) to Point B (supporting myself and two kids with my creative pursuits), I signed up for a number of classes. Blogging, Collage, Painting – I jumped from one creative study to the next always keeping my end goal in site. I also did something a little crazy, and for my 40th birthday decided to attend the inaugural Do What You Love retreat (all the way from Seattle!), which was amazing! Where Squam had opened my eyes to a dream, the DWYL retreat gave me insights in how to bring that dream closer to reality from a business perspective.
On the train back to London I was already brainstorming about the photography e-course I wanted to teach.
(Of course there was chocolate involved!)
A few months later I got a new job. It wasn’t the full-time creative gig I wanted, but I was blessed to find something new (which given the economy was nothing short of a miracle), and it was a position which gave me the opportunity to do something that was part of my long-term goal . . . teach! I had been telling myself that I had no business teaching an e-course since I had no experience teaching – now I could check that off the list. Yahoo!
And from there I committed 100% to my dream, and jumped into creating my class full tilt. Every minute of free time over the next six months was spent writing, photographing, videoing, researching, advertising, social networking . . . you get the picture. It was a bit over the top, but on April 1 2012 I launched my photography e-course: {eye} wonder :: intuitive photography for everyday people :: I felt like I’d just run a marathon, and I was so proud of myself.
This week I wrapped up the second session of my class, and have had amazing feedback from my students, which of course thrills me no end.
When I think about it, the last time we met I knew I wanted to do something new and creative with my life – but the truth was that I didn’t really know what that looked like. So I opened myself up to what the universe had in store, tried lots of new artistic processes, pasted together giant vision boards and nurtured the ideas that bubbled to the surface – and am so excited about what has transpired and where I am today!
What’s next? I’ve realized that doing what I love is an ever-evolving process, and that while I’ve come a long way from where I was 18 months ago, there are still so many exciting possibilities in my future! Some current goals include:
* Teaching at an art retreat
* Collaborating with other conscious creative visionaries to create amazing offerings . . .
* Writing a book
All of which should keep me busy for a little while . . . I’ll keep you posted!
[Photo by Thea Coughlin]
Eileen Nishi is a global “waker” in the making, enlivening and inspiring others through her many roles as an insightful photographer, teacher, loyal friend and devoted baseball mama. She resides in Seattle, Washington and blogs at westofwhimsy.com.
[All images courtesy of Eileen Nishi unless otherwise credited. Find out more about Eileen on her website or visit her Etsy shop]
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