Lessons from Julie & Julia
I just saw the movie Julie & Julia and it was fabulous. In this movie, Julia Child’s story of her start in the cooking profession is intertwined with blogger Julie Powell’s 2002 challenge to cook all the recipes in Child’s first book. But at essence, what this story describes is the inner quest of both women to find their true purpose, pursue it with vigor, and discover some measure of worldly recognition for their efforts.
It’s the story of any creative person, in any decade or century. In fact, in some ways, it’s my story.
Like Julie and Julia, I am driven towards creativity as a life-long pursuit, as a career, as a calling. For Julia, it was cooking that unleashed her passion. For Julie, it was writing. And for me, it has always been art–painting, drawing, and now fused glass.
“There are two great days in a person’s life–the day we were born and the day we discover why.” -William Barclay
But it was not enough for Julia Child to be a great cook for family and friends. It was not enough for Julie Powell to write a blog for a hobby. And it has never been enough for me to do a corporate job during the week, and be an artist on the weekend. I can’t be passionate part-time….I must be consumed by my passion. I must truly “be” an artist, earn my way as an artist, to feel I have reached my full potential. I feel these women must have also felt this way.
Of course, the rub is that it takes money to live, and it’s very hard to earn money following your creative passions until you’ve reached far and wide to find enough people who love what you do that you can survive on their endorsement and support. In simpler terms, it’s hard to get a break.
After eight long years working full time developing her now famous first cookbook, Julia Child succeeded–her first publishing contract proved she wasn’t just passing the time by cooking, she was finally recognized as a chef. And after blogging and cooking an impossible number of recipes in just 365 days, Julie Powell got her break and now earns her living as a writer.
Stories of success like these are inspiring to creative people. These stories prove it can happen. Someday I’ll wake up and realize that I’m an artist, and that creating beautiful things is what I do for a living. A heartfelt thanks to all my family, friends, and FOXY Fusions fans that help me get one step closer to making this dream a reality every day.
