Recently I posted this to my blog… to live your life to the fullest you must
honor that which you are called to be.
A major
aspect of living your life to the fullest is to honor your God-given talent and be
willing to express this whenever possible. Many people have so many strings
attached to the expression and are so fearful of not succeeding at something they
never take the first step toward honoring the gifts they have been blessed
with. They truly live a life of quiet desperation.
Others
have no choice but to pursue their passion knowing that their spirit will die
if they don’t.
One person who is living
her passion is artist, Lorraine Lawson. Lorraine is the owner of Lorraine
Lawson Fine Arts gallery located in downtown Campbell, California.
I have known Lorraine for
over five decades. That’s right, five decades. You see, Lorraine is my sister. Lorraine
is one who has been blessed with a talent that daily she expresses.
I remember
as a child Lorraine would create amazing pieces of artwork from virtually nothing.
She could take the most mundane thing and make a masterpiece out of it. Whether
it was an old cardboard box, a piece of paper and a pencil, an old piece of
clothing, it didn’t matter; Lorraine has a gift for creating a beautiful piece
where none existed.
As
Lorraine tapped further and further into her passion she did what many do…got
caught up in life and raising a family. With family her priority her passion for for art has never dimmed.
Now that her daughters are grown with families of their own, Lorraine enjoys life as a grandmother as well as her passion for art.
You see, the desire never left nor did the
gift of her amazing talent.
Several
years ago, Lorraine decided that she could no longer put her passion on the
back burner. She took a leap of faith and opened her gallery with her commitment to staying the course of her calling.
Today,
during times of uncertainty for many, Lorraine’s clarity and gift have emerged
to a level many only dream of. She now pursues her passion of art full time,
owns an art gallery, paints for a living and is commissioned by people around
the globe for custom pieces that hang in corporate installations, homes,
galleries and businesses.
When
people look at her level of success they often say, “You are so lucky!”
I daresay
luck has very little to do with it. Rather, her unwillingness to settle for a
life of mediocrity and her willingness to live her passion and express her
gifts.
In
Lorraine’s local area, The San Jose Mercury is running a Best of Silicon Valley
event. I know Lorraine’s art gallery is truly the best.
If you
live in the area, have visited Lorraine’s gallery and would like to vote for
her, please visit http://www.mercurynews.com/bestofsv
Even if you don’t live in the area, but have visited her gallery or live in an outlying area and appreciate great art, please take the time to vote. It’s simple and only takes a few minutes.
Add to the Best Art Gallery section the name Lorraine
Lawson Fine Arts gallery.
Kathleen,
Why do so many of us wait until the later part of our lives to live our purpose? If only we're taught when we're younger to follow our dreams ... imagine what life would look like then!
Lorraine is so gifted. I love her use of colors in her art, particularly the abstracts. My favorite is her "just for fun" giraffe!
Posted by: Miki | May 26, 2009 at 05:51 PM
We start out living on purpose in our youngest years. In joy and wonder.
Then we begin our life journey where we are cautioned to gain security and prepare for our future often to the exclusion of our greatest passions.
Fortunately there are so many people who are realizing it is never too late to tap into our passion and purpose.
Thanks for your post Miki.
Posted by: Kathleen Gage | June 01, 2009 at 07:22 PM