We struggle the first part of our lives to stand first on tip toes, then with nearly flat feet, then walk, and run. Most of us begin life with little fear of consequence till that first time we truly fall hard!  The memory of that skinned knee or elbow, that gash on the forehead from the edge of the coffee table. So begins our self-conditioning, next comes the burn of something "hot" like the stove or the matches by the fireplace (sorry about that one mom). The more we develop the greater the chance for what we perceive as serious injuries. I remember picking rocks out of my elbow from that bad bike wreck at the turn of Kissing Hollow Road at age10 or 11, the cracked rib from the dirt bike flip I did at 18(sorry if you didn't know about that one mom).  Every cut, broken bone, accident and incident, whether physical or mental, leaves a scar.  It's up to us if we want to break out that "Vitamin E" to "E"rase it .  Unfortunately we erase instead the memory of how good it felt to fearlessly stumble into the kitchen as a toddler, pull open the cupboard door, and tear into the Lucky Charms. Thanks for that one Brad, and your lucky mom didn't spank you! We spend most of our adult lives overcoming the blemishes of our past. To approach life courageously again, with the "innocence of a child".  I preach it to my young artists, with their work; "the classroom is the safest place to create".  It sounds so weak to approach life like a child again, but it takes such strength to display that kind of trust.

I have overcome many fears in my time. Some more than others, mostly dealing with the physical. It's an annoyance to cut my right thumb badly and could have potentially hindered me from working in clay. That didn't cross my mind when I was back out working on my car the next day. Overcoming mental fears like asking a girl out on that first date as a teenager, or making speeches in front of my classmates have allowed me to become stronger mentally. Trusting like a child has allowed me to overcome the previous fears of rejection. No longer do I worry about being rejected as an "Artist". I'll walk that path with flat feet without shoes if I have to!  Acknowledging this about myself, why now do I find myself in some situations on my tiptoes again.       

That answer will have to come another time......