“Follow your bliss”

Kelly @ JAX Decor & Design

I read this quote on Patricia Gray’s blog. It’s by Joseph Campbell. The complete quote is:

My general formula for my students is “Follow your bliss.” Find where it is, and don’t be afraid to follow it.

Last night, I popped into Beddingtons and got to talking with the lady at the cash. I can’t quite remember how the topic came up (my brain is a sieve!!), but she told me the story of a friend’s daughter, Cheryl Smith. Cheryl was working at the International Air Transport Association in Montreal, but her real love was web design. She didn’t have any formal training or education in web design — she just loved web design.

I can’t remember all the details of the story (again, that sieve brain problem, plus I was running late for step dance class). But through a series of events, Cheryl ended up designing the web site for and working with amazing Canadian fiddler, Natalie MacMaster. Which led to her designing web sites for other people (including other musicians). Which led to her moving to the East Coast. Which led to her creating OutFront Productions Inc. Which culminated in her becoming an award–winning Graphic Designer: (Image to the left from Natalie MacMaster’s web site)

• 2002 International Association of Webmasters and Designers “Golden Web Award for Design”
• 2005 Junior Chamber of Commerce “Young Entrepreneur of the Year”
• 2005 & 2006 East Coast Music Awards (ECMA) “Graphic Designer of the Year”
• 2009 Nominated for ECMA “Graphic Designer of the Year” and “Website of the Year”

Cheryl followed her bliss, and has achieved amazing success. Yay, Cheryl!!

So today, I’m even more inspired to follow my bliss and start my own home decorating business. To be honest, I’m really not sure how to go about it. I have an officially registered company — JAX Decor & Design — and a potential logo designed by a Graphic Design friend:

I also have a bright pink binder I bought at Staples to keep all my paperwork and projects in :-) Hubby is currently working on installing a ceiling and lighting in my home office. And I’m decorating a good friend’s guest bedroom. I’m kind of at a loss after that…

Like Cheryl, I don’t have any formal training or education in interior decorating. But it’s my absolute greatest love and passion. Well, after my family and my dogs :-) I think about decorating ALL THE TIME. I spend as much time as I can reading decorating blogs and checking out designer web sites and reading decorating books and magazines and watching decorating shows on TV. Decorating is what I want to do more than anything…

It’s time to stop the “wanting” and start the “doing”… look out bliss, here I come!!

See more of Cheryl’s work here:

OutFront Productions Inc. Portfolio