You Don't Need the Perfect Plan to Begin Your Journey

What happens when you finally decide to chase your decades-old dream with just 17 days left at your steady job? The exhilaration, fear, and unexpected joy of embracing imperfection.

Perfection is the enemy of progress. If we wait for flawless conditions before pursuing our passions, we'll remain forever stuck in place. My transition to full-time art hasn't followed a perfect roadmap—I'm admittedly "winging it" with the resources available. This messy middle, where plans meet reality, is where the real magic happens.

Watching my father pass away at 65 without experiencing his passions fundamentally changed my approach to life. I refuse to spend another day doing something that doesn't bring me joy. This mindset has pushed me to work two full-time jobs simultaneously to build a creative space where both I and others can flourish. Your unique artistic style emerges not from perfectly following someone else's formula, but through your personal approach, "mistakes," and specific way of seeing the world.

The community forming in my studio proves how desperately people need spaces where they feel seen and heard. From the gentleman proudly sharing his crochet creations to first-timers hesitantly admitting their creative curiosities, there's profound connection in authentically sharing what we love to do.

The future remains beautifully unclear—I can't predict what opportunities or challenges await. But that uncertainty is precisely what makes this journey worth embracing wholeheartedly. If your heart is pulling you toward something, don't wait for the perfect plan. Start now. The rest will follow. You'll figure it out along the way. After all, we're not promised anything beyond today.

Ready to stop waiting and start creating? What dream has been waiting in your heart that deserves attention today?

Chapters

• 0:00 Leaving 9-to-5 for Art Career
• 1:40 Embracing Imperfection and Life's Journey
• 4:13 Creating Your Unique Style
• 6:39 Building a Creative Community
• 9:26 Stop Waiting and Start Today
• 14:20 Final Thoughts and Upcoming Events

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:06

Hello everyone, welcome back to Brutally Made. We are in the middle of June. Yay, I'm so excited. I have about 17 days left in my current nine to five and I just wanted to take a second to come in and talk about having a lot of joy in the little things that are leading up to that end of era, if I want to be trendy in my life and starting a new one in art full time.

Speaker 1: 0:42

So there's just a lot of things that people feel like you have to do in a proper process or things have to be perfect before you can, you know, move on, and checklists and things like that are great, plans made also great. But really, if you are waiting to do anything when everything is perfect, you will never do it. You will be waiting forever and I think that it's really important to give yourself a lot of grace, to kind of go with the flow as things happen, and that's really how it becomes real becomes, I guess for me, and my experience with this is that, yes, I had a plan, that I wanted to do this within a year. Yes, I had met with some people to give me some guidance on what I needed to put in place, but it's not perfect. I didn't follow things to a T. I did not have a book that was, you know, an outline that I followed, checked that off, followed the next thing I am winging it. I literally am doing things as best as I can. Literally I'm doing things as best as I can with the resources that I have and making it work along the way. And I think that you have to remember that that messy middle is okay to be in and it applies to creating something art-wise, business, business wise, your life.

Speaker 1: 2:32

Someone had said, if you planned to have children and you have this goal to have kids, and that you had to be at a certain level or a certain place or whatever would be, you would never have them because you would never hit. Something always happens to. You know those well laid plans and you know, when I had my children, it was just like, yes, I was young and you know crazy time in that period of my life, but you know, I had the kids when I had the kids and I kind of like remind my daughters and our children of the same thing. It's like it happens when it happens If you, you know, plan it, that's great if you can, but you know, don't beat yourself up about things that don't happen within that timeframe that you've always set. You know, you have this vision of your life. Like I, will be at this level at this age and I will achieve this at this age, and it's great to have those goals. It's wonderful to have those goals, but for heaven's sakes, do not just you know beat yourself up about not hitting those markers Exactly. You've got to let yourself have some flexibility and you have to let yourself create on the go, as things happen. And it makes some of the best results because you have changed direction or you have learned from a, you know, a lesson in life that you didn't expect. I mean, we are going to have things thrown at us that we don't expect all of the time. I cannot tell you that enough. I have had that experience.

Speaker 1: 4:13

Someone said the other day to me I should write a book. That book would be crazy. My life has been a roller coaster. I cannot even express how much of a roller coaster it has been, and where I am at now is where I'm supposed to be. Someone said if you could do something. It was a test I was taking this week and it was like what would you do differently if you could? I really don't think anything.

Speaker 1: 4:43

The things that I've experienced in my life has brought me where I'm at today, where I'm supposed to be. If I would change one thing, that would change the trajectory for my children, for my husband and I, and I can't imagine things being any differently. I wouldn't want it to be any differently. Every struggle that I have and will have and I'm having now I'm supposed to have and I'm supposed to learn from those and I am doing the best that I can. I get one life, we all have one opportunity and you've got to just do what you love in that opportunity.

Speaker 1: 5:21

That's why I'm doing what I'm doing now while I can, because I've told people a million times when they ask me you're retiring at 55. Hey look, I'm not financially prepared to retire at 55. I'm just telling you that right now I am going to lean into my art and myself 100%, because I absolutely love it and I don't want to do anything else for the rest of my life. And I watched my father pass away at 65 and never get to experience doing anything that he would have loved because he was gone so young. And I am not going to, you know, do something that doesn't bring me joy or another day, and that's why I have doubled down and worked really hard to do two jobs full time at this moment, because I think that that is what has my heart is this calling to create a space for other people and have a space for myself.

Speaker 1: 6:30

Experience that community, getting the joy of making things and I am not perfect in everything that I try. You should see me trying to tuft a rug right now, struggling with that. I'm just learning things on the go and experiencing it along with you, and that's totally fine. That's what makes it fun. And I'm just trying to get you to understand that it's okay to not be a professional in everything that you try. You will become so much more in depth of what you're working on when you learn from your mistakes and you learn from others and you're willing to have an open mind about learning. So just hear my voice and hear my reasoning of not having the fear because you're not perfect at it from the very first start. It's okay to learn along the way. That's what's beautiful about it.

Speaker 1: 7:29

You can't imagine what kind of skill you'll develop because of the mistakes you make, the hand that you have in it the things that you try. That develops your style. Where do you think this style comes from? Someone's brushstroke, someone's sculpting method? Their hands work a certain way, their eyes see a certain color. It's not the exact same thing as the other person. I don't care who's teaching you. You're not going to see it and do it that exact same way, and that is okay.

Speaker 1: 8:02

So stop trying to chase that perfection. Stop trying to find that perfect formula. Follow that exact outline. It is wonderful to learn, but then develop it and create it for you. And don't expect everything to be perfectly aligned before you start. Just start, just start. Wake up one day and, like you know what I'm just going to start today Plant something, start something, go look at something, sign up to learn something, make a step forward. You know, always, always, be curious. That is such a fuel to that fire, and I don't care if you're starting a new business. You know, go look at somebody else's business, go sit in that, go look at that building, investigate, study, read a book, do something that ignites that passion in you for whatever it is that you want to do, and pursue it. And don't wait, please don't wait. I am starting when I'm supposed to.

Speaker 1: 9:14

But I can tell you I have had this in my heart for decades. For so, so long, I have wanted to do art my entire life and I think that that has just always been my passion. I've always tried to find a way in my career to be creative, no matter what I was doing. If it was in marketing, if it was in design, to me I was like you know what? I'm still a little bit creative, that I could use my creativity a little bit. And this week has been just, I haven't had any classes scheduled. I did have some that were available and, of course, you know very busy week for the plaza and stuff and you know didn't have any signups.

Speaker 1: 9:56

Totally fine, people coming in and shopping and you know crafting and just you know, talking and meeting with me and they just are overwhelmed by what they see. And you know hearing what I love to do and again, I can't tell you how many times I get told you're a lot, this is a lot, this is, you know, wow, and I'm like I know and I don't care, this is me. And so I embrace that a lotness as much as I can because it gives somebody permission. Okay, maybe you're not at that level, but you can still pursue what makes you happy and what you want to try and what interests you and everybody that comes in. They always want to have a little bit of an excuse go. Oh well, my grand or my kids, you know. You know, they'll love this when, secretly, they're just like looking around going. I've never tried this, I would love to try this. And then the admissions that they have done something creative.

Speaker 1: 11:03

I've had a gentleman come into the studio this week. He was with his wife. She was a fiber artist. He crochets like amigurumis and he was so excited to tell me about them, trying to find pictures of them on his phone and seeing some of like the pieces we had in the hand, knit pieces that we had. It was like I want to bring my pieces in. He goes, I'm so proud of them. I just, I just want to show them off. And you know, do you, do you buy consignment, do you? And I'm like no, I buy wholesale. So just, you know, hearing his excitement that someone was accepting what he loved to do was wonderful, and I was telling him how many young boys would come and buy the kits that we would have to learn how to do that, and it was just.

Speaker 1: 11:44

It's just so heartwarming and just finding that space that someone relates to what you do is I can see the joy in that and so create that environment for others. Share what you love to do with others. I'm telling you, people need to hear that so they can connect. People desperately want to have a space where they're heard and seen and feel like they can just, you know, pour out their thoughts and their feelings authentically, and that is what I am excited about creating and that's what I love so, so much.

Speaker 1: 12:18

About what I do and what I am doing and the possibilities that lie ahead are some that I can't see. I can't plan for them. I don't know what's going to happen. I have no idea these memes going around with this butterfly effect, whatever it is, was like. You know, she has no idea that this, this, this, this is going to happen. I feel like I should film something right now because I don't know what's going to happen. Good or bad, difficult or easy, big or small, I don't know. And that's okay, because I'm here for that journey. This is what I've signed up for, this is what I want. I want to be in it 100% and take you all along with me and not fear for it, but look forward to it.

Speaker 1: 13:10

And so I just want to encourage you to not worry about that plan that you have written out, and if you're not following it to a T, wherever, you have written down that you're ready to start at that time. If your heart is in it, now start. The rest of it will catch up. You'll figure it out. You will figure it out. I can't tell you that enough. You're going to figure it out. Just start. Just. You don't need my permission, but hear my words. Just start, because there's no better time than today. We are not promised anything else.

Speaker 1: 13:49

So if you're here today and you're hearing that and you have something on your heart to do, do it. Don't be afraid. If you're afraid, send me a message, tell me what your fears are. I want to help you. I am not a counselor, I do not have a degree in that, but I am an authentic human being with the same hopes and dreams for myself, and I will support you and be your biggest cheerleader.

Speaker 1: 14:18

So don't wait. Start now and don't let the fact that this perfect plan isn't in place doesn't have to be. Do it. Oh, 17 more days. I'm almost there. Thanks for being part of this journey with me and listening to my ups and downs and struggles. I'm really excited about some things happening coming up. I can't wait to share an interview coming up on YouTube with a company and another one with a beautiful pattern maker coming up next week. There's a lot happening next week, so, all right, I will talk to you later. Have a beautiful weekend, stay brutally made and hopefully it stays summery around here in Ohio because it has been cold. Take care Bye-bye.