“Hind Sight”
August 2008 Blog
Rewind the clock to early 2002. I was nearing the end of my senior year in high school and preparing for college. One evening, I was enjoying a generous meal at Folks restaurant with the family when my college plans came up for discussion. I told my parents that I wanted to major in fashion design and minor in creative writing. Fashion and writing have been passions of mine for as long as I can remember. My dream was, and still is, to own my own fashion label and be a professional writer on the side. My dad, while supportive of my dream, suggested that I take a different route. He felt that a better option would be to get a degree in business since that would almost guarantee my chances of starting a great career in a more stable industry. That way, I could build a strong financial foundation upon which to build my dreams later.
I was actually surprised by this. I figured that a fellow artist would encourage my wanting to take the creative route. I mean, this is the HBatto we’re talking about. I was upset by this because I felt that they my parents didn’t understand what I was passionate about and weren’t being supportive. Nevertheless, I went off to school in pursuit of a degree in business marketing. At the time, I couldn’t understand my parents’ reasoning and this caused me to lose my motivation in school. I was so busy being upset over the classes I couldn’t take, that I failed to take full advantage of the education that I was receiving.
My father has a true passion for art that has spanned most of his life. However, to date, a big chunk of that life was spent devoting time and energy to a “9 to 5”. Growing up, it always seemed to me that art was just a hobby to my dad. But on that day in the restaurant, my dad was speaking to me from experience. After devoting 23 years to the United States Air Force, he was now in a position to devote as much time and energy to his artwork as he wanted. Now at 24, married with three children of my own, I can see the practicality of what my dad was telling me. He wasn’t telling me to completely disregard my dream; he just didn’t want me to be a starving artist. I also now realize the genius in taking the time to perfect a craft. I can look back over the years and see the progression of my dad’s artwork. When the time came for him to start his business in the art world, he had a nearly perfected product (nearly because even he says that there’s always room for improvement).
Hind sight is 20/20 and I should have taken my dad’s advice. Trying to build a business on a shaky financial situation is tough. But passion is a powerful tool and, along with prayer, it can help to mend the cracks in the foundation. Anything is possible and the only thing that can keep you away from your dreams is you. So as I continue to my journey in making my dreams a reality, I’ll reflect on this time. I’ll remember my mistake and try not to repeat it. I wonder how often people consider the source of advice they receive, especially when it’s not asked for. I think most people have a tendency to dismiss any advice that is volunteered and even more so when it’s not something that they want to hear. But if we take a minute to consider who is giving this advice and why, we may absorb some really useful information. My dad would often use the old adage, “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.” I believe it’s often used to discourage bad associations. However, if you associate with people who are headed for great things then, these are definitely people whom you would want to take advice from. A wise woman once told me that you should only take advice from someone who you’d want to switch places with. I couldn’t see it as a teenager, but with all of his accomplishments, my father is definitely someone who I would want to be like.