It feels a little like fall this morning here in Seattle. The air is just a bit more crisp than it was yesterday.  I love fall - the cooler weather, the smell of leaves; harvest; and all the warm colors. Does any season have a better palette than fall?

For me, the fall season also represents knowledge, learning, and tackling new challenges. I was the kid who loved school (still do!) and couldn't wait to get my hands on new textbooks; choose coordinated folders, pens and notebooks (of course!); break-in a new backpack; and start a new planner (also not surprising!). I recently came across one of my planners from college. First, wow! I was doing bullet journaling before it was trending! I tracked everything! I was super organized and regimented every single hour of every day. Every assignment due date was recorded. Every grade of every paper was calculated. The names, home rooms, and office hours of every instructor were neatly written and updated accordingly. I guess that's how I managed two majors and an almost full-time job and got it done in four years. But one thing was missing when I looked at these pages. Where were my dreams? Where were my big thoughts about what I wanted my life to look like? What was my 'why' for doing all this? What exactly was I working toward? Did I even know that it was okay to have dreams, or was I conditioned to think my sole purpose for being there was to take a well-trod path that was sure to land me a job that would be 'good enough.' 

Fast forward 20 years, and here I am launching a creative dream that I have thought about for decades but never considered it to be 'enough.' B. Noted is still far from sustaining me financially, but I'm determined to stop thinking of it as a side project. I'm determined to dream big about the possibilities of living a creative life and doing what I love. College and the path I chose were definitely not a waste - I learned so much that has helped me in every aspect of my life. I just wish I could go back to the fall of 1998 and let myself take that art class; try painting; take the creative writing course; learn about letter presses and color theory; know that the creativity inside of me didn't have to stay small. It could be a part of a big dream, and a big, wonderful, successful life.

Starting Monday, I will join a group of makers who have BIG ideas in a seminar called Paper Camp. I'm excited and also anxious knowing that I'm about to learn just how much work I will need to put into B. Noted to take it to the next level. There will be a lot of things I don't know that others do. There will be people who are way ahead of me in launching their creative business. There will be a lot of lingo that I've never heard before. I will likely feel like I'm drinking from a fire hose and I will probably doubt that B. Noted is worth all the hard work that's ahead. So, today I'm painting myself a little reminder to post on my wall - "You're not small. Your Dreams shouldn't be either."

Do you have creative ideas that you've relegated to the "small things" category in the back of your mind? Do you have the itch to create but feel guilty investing your time, energy, space, or money pursuing it? 

Here are a few resources I've found inspiring and helpful:

Cathy Heller's podcasts, book, and Face Book Group: Don't Keep Your Day Job.

https://www.dontkeepyourdayjob.com/podcast

Chase Jarvis' book: Creative Calling

https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Calling-Establish-Practice-Meaning/dp/0062879960

Katie Hunt's Proof to Product

https://www.prooftoproduct.com/podcast

Creativity lives in all of us. It's never too late to give your creativity the attention it deserves. It's not frivolous to try something new, to make messy first drafts, or listen to the creative voice inside of you. In fact, it's essential to a happy, fulfilling life.