If You're Lucky and You Know It

I am fortunate to have been able to have jobs that allowed me to be creative, both with my hands and with my mind. No matter what else I do in life, I will never stop doing the things that make me feel most alive inside. I am beyond happy that I can call myself artistic, even if it took me years to realize that that term is more broad than a painter or musician — though both of those are art forms that I admire and wish I had talent for.

Just over a year ago I made the switch from one profession to another. I had thought that I would leave my life as a stylist behind me, having chosen a keyboard and the seat of the chair , over standing behind one and working with hair. The passion I had for color, style and seeing a client leave with a smile had other ideas. I doubt that I will ever work in a salon again, though I won't say never. I will however, continue to use my skill and love for fashionable hair to make my friends and family feel great about their look from wherever we happen to gather that week.

This continued practice not only allows me to exercise the creativity I nurtured for two decades, but to also socialize in a way I sometimes miss. The interactions that happen when you are in someone's personal space by permission shouldn't be taken for granted. Being welcomed into another human being's purple circle is an honor; that's something I never lost sight of when I made my living gaining this permission from my clients. When you have the chance to be with other people it's great, but when you know that the interaction and time is appreciated by both you and the other person it's something that cannot be replicated or replaced.

Human interaction is essential to a happy life. Interactions that build up both parties and have lasting, positive effects mean peacful, happy energies spreading the happy around them. Being creative not only provided me a way to support myself and my sons, it also opened the door to lessons in how to recognize, choose and enjoy happy moments. I could never turn my back on something like that. Ever.