Orlando Exhibition: Part 2
Dreams shouldn't always be dreams. They sound nice and are pleasant to think about, but how much better would our dreams be if they were our reality? The only possible way we can achieve our perfect reality is through hard work and dedication. No dream is too large to accomplish, even if it seems so in the beginning. When I started photography I never expected to walk into a gallery and find my art hanging on the wall. Yet there I stood looking at three of my pieces. 
In that moment I knew it was worth all the headaches and stressful days. During the process it is hard to see the end product, but the moment will come when you see it and you will realize just how important the work was.After the months of buildup and excitement for this event, it finally came. My entire family (mom, dad, and sister) drove to Orlando for the opening of the show. Clothed in a fancy new dress and my favorite pair of heels, I felt ready to conquer the world. At least I thought I was ready until I got to the gallery and felt the nerves pick up speed.Walking into The City Arts Factory was an incredibly surreal experience, amongst a room filled with incredible art done by amazing artists were three pieces that belonged to me. The stark white walls made each and every piece stand out like they were all living and breathing. In a way they all were. Every artist places their voice into what they create, filling it with life and breath. The art hanging on the walls spoke of each of its creators filling the room with vibrant stories and emotions. Amongst all of that beauty were my prints, it was a complete dream come true. [gallery ids="625,627,632,630,629" type="rectangular"]Being a slightly introverted person I sought out refuge in my friend Sabrina Fatal, who also had her work in the exhibition. One of her pieces was the only print from the show to sell, which is absolutely and incredibly amazing for her. We interacted with guests, enjoyed admiring everyone else’s work, and tried to sneakily listen to people’s opinions of the art. One of the best parts of the night was when kids would come through and loudly voice their opinions. Their brutal honestly was amazing to watch and they giggled and danced around the room observing the often times ‘creepy’ art. By the end of the night I was completely exhausted and extremely happy. After the building was closed to visitors the votes for people's choice were counted and I won the award. I'm quite sure everyone in the room heard my jaw hit the floor at the announcement. I was full to overflowing with happiness. It was completely unexpected, there were so many other talented artists in the room that could have gotten the award. Yet there it was hanging under my print, a giant blue ribbon announcing it to everyone.
Everything had gone so well, I was able to watch a dream unfold before me. My very first gallery exhibition. I couldn't have asked for it to turn out better, everything was completely flawless.Thinking that the exhibition was wrapped up in a nice bow and finished, I settled back into my grove of creating and dreaming of future shows. To my complete surprise the next opportunity came much faster than I expected. And Italian curator wished to bring one piece from each artist at the Orlando Exhibition over to a show in Paris. I had to read the email at least ten times to confirm for a fact that it wasn’t a dream. My work would be in Paris, my dream city. It was too amazing to be true, yet it was, completely and entirely true. On May 11th a show opened in Paris with 90 incredible artists, including Brooke Shaden, Bella Kotak, Follow Me Away, and Laura Zalenga, and among all those big time names was my piece. The only possible way to make this experience better would have been going to the city to see the show. But I was already over the moon with joy so I’m not sure how I would have handled that. [gallery ids="589,587,588,591" type="square"]All in all this entire experience, although with a few bumps along the way, has been incredibly amazing and insightful. Everything about the process was a tiny bit surreal, which is understandable when you are seeing your dreams come true before your very eyes.When you work hard enough and apply yourself to your goals and dreams they will come true. The only thing you have to do is start, take one small step forward. All the big names in any industry didn’t get where they are overnight. They worked for it, one step at a time. Apply yourself with a firm dedication and fuel your journey with your passion.Nothing is too hard to accomplish. People once believed the skies the limit, but we proved that to be wrong by walking on the moon. Start and if you find yourself with a problem push through, climb over, go around, but don’t get discouraged. Problems are part of life, we must learn to adapt and adjust around them.Our dreams are worth fulfilling, those who say they can’t or shouldn’t be done are the people who cannot dream big enough. They desire to drag people down who have the dreams and live for the future. Ignore their opinions. What can’t be done is achievable and what shouldn’t be done just hasn’t been tried. Dreams come true. I’m a living example that they do. Never give up on what may seem impossible, for something only seems impossible until proven possible. We must simply start. 
(Taken in Paris at Disney Epcot while in Orlando)
...An incredibly special thanks goes to Samantha Ann Goss who curated the Orlando show and put everything together. Without her dedication and communication this would never have happened. She’s incredibly amazing and without her my dreams wouldn’t have become reality. Thank you Samantha. I also want to thank my family for helping me and encouraging me. Without their support I don't know where I would be. They are simply amazing!....If you enjoyed this blog post and would like to receive notifications when I publish new ones click HERE to subscribe to my newsletter.