Dreams are like stars. You may never touch them, but if you follow them they will lead you to your destiny. It might take a while, depending on how much time and effort you put into your journey. It’s all about dedication and how much you want it. So make sure you follow the right dream!

Some of you may already know that I decided to take a u-turn earlier this year. I went from being a full time artist, to taking on a new almost full-time day job. And I couldn’t be happier with my choice. Yey, I finally did the right thing after a long period of reflecting, making lists of pros and cons, dreaming, wondering what would happen if…

Be realistic 

Dreaming big is sometimes easier said than done! Bucket lists, priority schemes, to-do-lists, mind maps, milestones, goal mapping, project management, WBS (work breakdown structure) and goal hierarchy are useful instruments to make sure you’re on the right track towards Your Dream. 

Look for smart tools that help you in your process. There are loads of them out there. Or make your own. The trick is to have an overview, to watch your progress along the way. 

The tricky part is to find your true dreams. And realize that they might change over time. Remember: Your dream is yours. No one else can take that away from you but yourself. So be aware of your inner critics, those insisting voices that want you to curl up in front of the telly or spend the evening scrolling on your smartphone.

Show up and focus

Whatever your dream is, make appointments with yourself, show up and do the work you have decided to do. Small steps every day is my way of working, it might not be yours. Try different things, do what you like. 

– Make sure to have some fun along the way! 

Remember to check in if you are focusing on what’s most important right now. If not, adjust your plan. But do not, I repeat; DO NOT spend all your time planning! Spend your energy on DOING whatever is necessary to get where you want. 

Celebrate

Make sure to celebrate whenever there’s a reason to celebrate!

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a celebration to prepare: I’ve invited my husband to join me for a tiny drink in my messy studio! See ya later!

Normally I think of July as one of the best months in the year with its summer holidays and slow living with family and friends. I for sure had been looking so much forward to hot summer days, lazy breakfasts with my cat, wonderful lunchbaskets and swimming in the nearby lake, hiking, bicycling, roaming the woods with my husband and spending warm evenings in my hammock reading interesting books after nice dinners with a glass of greek Retsina.

Forrest studio

This month I had made plans for bringing my large new paintings outside in the local woods in order to contemplate and try to bring in the energy from the old trees before the final stages in my pop-up forest studio. Also I was planning to bring my sketchbooks and some tools when revisiting some of my favourite secret places far far away. And I was supposed to prepare for an upcoming exhibition.

When life gives you lemons

Well, let’s say things turned out differently as Corona hit the house pretty bad. I hardly remember anything from the first 5 days of high fever and only bits and pieces from the next few weeks. All my energy was gone, my brain was more or less shut down and I slept 14-16 hours a day.

As you might have guessed, all my plans went down the drain. No painting, no recharging, no fun, no nothing. My husband and I could barely let the cat out.

They say: When life gives you a sour situation, make something good out of it, sweeten it up! This time I had no other choice but to surrender. I couldn’t beat that stubborn Covid-monster inside my body. 

So, let’s hope August will be better! Stay tuned!

Making big life decisions doesn’t necessarily come easy. Every new year I make time to reflect about the previous year: Did things turn out as expected, or do I need to change my priorities?

In today’s blog I will reflect upon making a U-turn, in order to turn my life around to align with my changing hopes and desires, with what I want from life and how I want to live from day to day. 

I’m the captain

As a former project manager I’m quite experienced in planning, evaluating and taking corrective actions in order to get where I want. The knowledge that you’re on the right path gives you energy to deal with rough days and short nights. I’m the captain, I know where to go, but sometimes you sail into troubled waters.

Most of us had our lives slightly changed during the pandemic. Also mine. Everything I had planned for was put on hold or canceled due to global and local restrictions. 

Weeks and months passed by, my energy level dropped, my dreams changed and I realized I was on the wrong track.

Taking online art classes is fun and inspiring, you “meet” a lot of nice people, but at the end of the day, you are all alone in your studio. Your life and your wellbeing is your responsibility. No one will come knocking on your door to rescue you. It all comes down to: You have to deal with your own shit!

So what to do?

Setting a new course

Taking corrective action in life is a bold move that requires courage and conviction.

Artists are often sensitive to the world around us, often with great empathy for other people. But sometimes we lack empathy for ourselves, or we might be too busy looking outwards. During the pandemic most of us had time to reflect. 

– What’s important now? 

– How do I want my life to be when the pandemic is over? 

Realizing you’ve come to a crossroads in your life might be hard to accept, but trust your intuition – pay attention to your dreams and your happy thoughts. 

Opportunity knocks

I’m not very skilled in sailing, but I do know how to plot a new course on a chart: So here I am happier than ever in my new almost full-time dayjob! Will have to adjust plans for my artist life though…

Looking back, creating art has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. To most of those who know me, it’s no surprise I ended up living the vida loca as an artist. After a long and winding road I finally found my true calling ten years ago.

Back in the Days

As I remember them, my early years of childhood seem to be quite lighthearted and enjoyable. Back in the days, young children growing up in the countryside were normally playing outside with friends, while their parents were tending livestock, working the fields or taking a nap after dinner. 

I really enjoyed my own company and had lots of freedom and long hours of roaming the hoods, trying to figure out life’s mysteries and searching for fun.

The Tiny Artist

My dad had plenty of tools, so at the age of 4 the tiny artist was stone carving day after day, fully determined to become a sculptor and make gigantic statues. A few weeks later I gave up because I couldn’t find stones that would let me form them the way I wanted; the materials were either too hard or too soft. And my wrists were really hurting from all the hammering. 

Then I tried working with clay from the nearby seashore without significant success.

Sadly my carpentry didn’t come out like I wanted, either – so I went back to drawing, encouraged by Grandma who was happy to model for me every day. 

First Art Exhibit

At the age of 5 I had my first art exhibit in Grandma’s house. All the neighbors were invited and Grandma served coffee and homemade cookies. 

To my big surprise I sold my first drawing. And Grandma told everyone that I was going to become an artist.

Years passed by

Through adolescence I was sketching, drawing and writing for hours every night. I hardly had time to sleep. At 16 life took a new turn. Years passed by; life was filled with schoolwork, sports, friends and parties. 

Good years, by all means, but my creative spirit was not nurtured except for a few lucky hours every now and then. Some nights I skipped sleeping, or I couldn’t sleep at all, because my brain was in creative mode.

Dreamt I was painting

Night after night I dreamt I was painting large canvases with bold marks and vivid colors; weird and wonderful abstract motives. They say that what you dream of, over and over again, is telling you to pay attention to that theme in your waking life. That your subconscious is trying to connect you to something that’s important for you. 

So I tried watercolor and ink, but didn’t quite get the expression I wanted. I tried oil painting and hated the smell, but OMG! was I the most popular girl roaming the bars for a few weeks with oil paint in my hair and stains on my hands…

Photography was a lot of fun, but I never got around to apply for studies in New York. And since Bergen was totally out of the question I started working again. And all of a sudden I was caught up in Family Life, university studies and coaching handball. Time flies when you’re having fun!

The Local Art School

At 50 I discovered the local art school. Half way through my second day in summer class at Nydalen Kunstskole, I had kind of a spiritual awakening – a feeling of being connected with something I’ve been looking for my whole life. I finally had found my true calling and that autumn I attended art school. 

Sometimes, dreams come true or tell of a future event. 

My journey as an artist began ten years ago as I entered the local art school for a week-long summer course called Finding Your Artistic Voice. I was a complete beginner. Except for a few attempts with watercolor, I had never painted before and barely knew upside down on the paint brush. 

I found my true calling

On day two I realised I had finally found my calling. My results were nothing to brag about, but I loved the creative process. It was a very intense and hot summer week with deep diving into inner landscapes, lovely lunches outside and refreshing swimming in the river with new friends. 

The teacher was a well known artist who sometimes gave me a creepy feeling as she laughed at my beginner attempts at colour mixing and criticised my way of using the paintbrush. Therefore I somehow didn’t think the teacher was walking the talk, but she kind of saw right through me and I was strongly encouraged to enter the two year art program. And for that I am forever grateful. 

A gift from my family

The summer course was a birthday gift from my family. My husband and my son witnessed the immediate impact this creative week course had on my wellbeing, so the following month I enrolled as an art student, finally at the age of 50. Looking back I regret not doing this years ago, but life has been filled with other things. 

The following two years my learning curve was steep as I had spent most of my life fulfilling others expectations, not listening to my inner self. They say there is a crack in everything, and that is where the light gets in. I don’t know who I’d be without my creative practice. Entering my studio is like coming home on a deeper level.

Stressful years

For years I worked full time jobs and made art during evenings, weekends and holidays. I hardly had any energy to meet friends, and my poor family only saw me during meals and when I fell asleep on the sofa totally worn out. I have no idea how many movies I slept through while my tea got cold. 

Working two careers is demanding, and as my everyday life started to feel like a mountain to climb, and I began to feel dead inside, I realised I had to change my priorities and went for less stressful day jobs. Over the years I have spent long hours of hard work alone in the studio to push my art forward. Years of poor income have taught me not to spend money.

Never stop dreaming

To me being an artist means quite a few sacrifices. We only have 24 hours and 7 days a week. I plan my days well in order to accomplish what I want. Artist life is sometimes stressful, but I’ll never stop trying to fulfil my dream. 

Trusting my inner voice has been a hard trial, guess I wasn’t brave enough to listen, maybe I was told I wasn’t good enough too often. When you feel your life is too small for you it’s time to make a leap! Time to unfold! Trust your inner voice, it demands to be heard! 

10 years and 10 000 hours later

They say you need about 10 000 hours of practice to become really good at something. My art practice has covered several trials and errors, exploration, failure and happy coincidences. I have painted small and big, painted over again and sold a few. I have taken workshops, had exhibitions, even attended a third year at the local art school. I’ve learnt techniques and made loads of paintings in different styles, but I’m still searching.

10 years later I am eager to find my true artistic voice. But when the student is ready, the teacher will appear! So I carry on.