Dream, Believe & Live It

"There's nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein." ~Walter Wellesley "Red" Smith

My friend Joann is a writer.

I am not quite sure how I stumbled upon her very funny blog.  I think that maybe I was surfing other blogs, as I am wont to do, and I was intrigued by the title - "Laundry Hurts My Feelings" - and I felt compelled to check it out.

No matter how I found Joann, I am so very glad I did.

Joann has the sort of life that I would like to share. She lives in sunny Florida (complete with 'gators!), gets the chance to travel (hello, Mexican drug lords!), loves wine (has her own wine cellar) and vodka and chocolate, has the most intriguing times at Disneyworld, wears impossible heels (the kind her dogs like to eat. So sad.), has three very lovely daughters and one very handsome gun-toting husband, a whole bunch of furry friends (and even some ducks), has fine taste in cute boys, is lucky to have survived her childhood, and she is a writer. A damn funny writer. Her exploits - whether it is an ill-fated trip to Mexico fraught with potential danger and the horrors of high humidity and no air conditioning as well as the open air cabana beach massage, to the (dare I say?) obsession with all things Bono, to her movie reviews that have saved me from wasting time, to the poignant and endearing way that she shares stories of her lovely daughters, I just love this girl. I knew from the moment that I started reading that this Joann would make one heck of a friend (and one day I hope I have a chance to steal tampons with her).

One thing led to another, and along the way Miss Joann jumped on the chance to snatch up a bracelet in my Etsy site for her cherished little sister. That made me so tickled. To know that someone that I read and admire likes what I do? Well, that is an added bonus. And then she bought some earrings for her mother in law. And this spring when she got back into blogging after a necessary hiatus to work on the manuscript for her first book, Joann gave away one of my 'simple truths' to a lucky reader.

But she really did me an honor when she asked me to create something special just for her.

Joann tells mighty fine and funny stories. They ramble and they meander but they always come to a great conclusion. (And I am sort of like that, no?)

But my stories are best told by wearable works of art, so I am thrilled that I have the chance to not only tell Joann's story, but give her a mantra to hold onto in the coming months of birthing her story into the world.

You see, Joann has always known that she was a writer. From the time she was just a little girl she would write stories and poems, all kept in notebooks. She wrote letters to the editor and to her husband and to her girls. But she never really saw herself doing anything with those words. Until now.

Joann told me that it was a long hard road for her to finally believe that her dream of being a writer one day could come true. But that is the funny thing about dreams. When you share them with others, the Universe has a funny way of putting the gears into motion to make those dreams a reality. It is a lot of hard work, but if you have a plan, a direction, you will get there. But first you have to believe.

Joann asked for a 'simple truth' of her own, and told me that her word was "believe". I went back to her blog and poked around. I read early posts and re-read posts that I loved (like the one about her daughters dancing freely in the park during a festival in Chicago). I wanted to see the pictures of Joann, and the places and things she loved so I could get a true sense of her. You see, we have never met. But I am certain that if we did we would be friends, fast and furious. And I think that we could get each other in sooooo much trouble. But it would be worth it, I suspect!

I have made plenty of custom pieces for people I have never met. Some I have only emailed and some I have only been told about from someone who loves them. When I work with a client I ask them a lot of questions. About color and length and style, yes, but also about what is most important to them, and where they want to go and what inspires them. And sometimes they don't even know that I am asking those questions or paying attention. That is when I get the best stuff.

I found a quote that I thought would be a great one for her...

"To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest." ~Mahatma Ghandi

So here is the custom 'simple truth' pendant I made for her in beachy tones, featuring Humblebeads in swirly sea-worthy colors. I think that Joann is on the cusp of having her dream come true, and I want her to live it by being true and honest with herself. I know that she is a star on the rise, and so the starfish was the motif that I chose, plus she lives by the cerulean sea, it is very much a part of her. Pearls are my favorite gemstone, and they are symbolic, a reminder to recognize the nuggets of truth within her. The interconnected rings show that we are all in this together, supporting one another. And the layers behind the pendant, besides making a beautiful frame for the focal, hint at the many layers of our stories.


{Dream, Believe & Live It - custom 'simple truths' creation just for my friend Joann}

 I told Miss Joann that her dream of writing a novel was a seed planted so long ago and is played out in every thing she does. She has to believe in it. It is happening. Now she needs to go and live it.

So here is to Joann who is working on shopping around her first manuscript of her book (or maybe just shopping for new shoes!). I think that Monday is her birthday, so hope on over to her blog to wish her all things bright and beautiful for this new year that is starting for her, and this new adventure that she is embarking on.

Your turn...

What is that thing that you have dreamed, believed in and are seeking to live every day? What would it take for this to become a reality?