THAT is Real Bravery

I have had fun playing with alcohol inks, so much so that I took a class…and have another class already on my schedule! Alcohol ink is very fluid, almost slippery. Which means all inks do not interact well with this medium, nor do they dry on top of the alcohol. I had fun working with different pens and inks to see which would perform best, how they eventually ‘mixed’ with the alcohol inks, and finally how ledgible the words would remain. Here is the quote from Omar Bradley:

Bravery
is the capacity to
perform properly
even when
scared to death. 

-Omar Bradley 1981

I thought these words were appropriate for this experiment. The inks worked together – mostly – and yet over time some of the gel pen letters melded into the ink background…interesting. Looking at this days later, I think it turned out pretty cool. Not EXACTLY what a control freak calligrapher had expected, yet that is indeed part of the experimentation process. I must admit, I was terrified to ruin a good background, so it was a gulp moment!

I find it very appropriate that the quote reminds us to be brave even when scared to death. Do you ever feel that way? Scared to death, yet willing to move forward anyway? I certainly hope so. It means you have something important enough for you to navigate, to learn, to dare, to accomplish such that it will propel you forward, yet you cannot get there without overcoming your fear. And growing up, being an adult, becoming who we really want to be means overcoming all sorts of fears…especially the ones that live in our own mind. And as we all know, the space between our ears is a very dangerous neighborhood indeed!

So let me encourage you to take the time to do that thing which is making you feel less than or afraid. Take a big GULP, and jump right in. Experiment, fail, ruin things and learn along the way. Nothing you want is worth letting your fear prevent you from moving forward. It may not all work out exactly as you plan, yet that is part of the journey. How boring would life be if everything was easy and turned out as executed? Do it even if you are scared to death…THAT is real bravery!