My kids regularly get frustrated when trying new things and ask me why I'm so good with soccer, baseball, yo yo'ing etc... I explain to them that as a kid I would practice, practice and practice all the time and that is why I'm good.
In life its never to late pursue your passion. A passion of mine has always been classic VW Bugs. As a kid my dad drove a 1969 VW bug for years and I was often his co-pilot. He bought a 1985 Chevy Celebrity and the bug then sat next to the house for years. Would my birthday wish I made when I was 13 finally come true? As a young adult I would often ask for the little bug and was always told "no" because its not safe. One day in the 90's my dad told me he was about to sell the car for $400 and I quickly came up with the money and bought it.
I then started my project. Yes this project started in the late 90's and it's still not complete. What would this little car become? A lady bug? A baja bug? A Cali style bug? A Herbie The Love Bug? All ideas I've had for this little car. Over the years "the project" was merely a screw here, air shocks there, T bar rear bumpers, seats re-done, and the list is endless. This little car even traveled with me to Idaho and back when I took my short leave of absence from Colorado.
Now as a Lafayette Resident one day I was on the the City of Lafayette's website when I saw the opportunity to submit a form for an "Art Grant." I started emailing artist friends and local businesses to see if anyone wanted to be part of my project. Thankfully I had people interested so I filled out the form and was later awarded an art grant for the "art bug."
There was definitely some hiccups along the way, some delays and people bailing out. But like I told my kids
practice, practice and practice or in this case be persistent in order to achieve excellence. My art grant from the City of Lafayette took my dreams and turned them into art. Trust me when I tell you completing the project was challenging but the end was well worth it. The "Art Bug" was completed in various stages before the being shown at Lafayette's Art Night Out a couple times in 2017.
The first night the "Art Bug " was at the 2017 Lafayette's Art Night Out it was available for the community to draw on with chalk. The booth was sponsored by Mike Johnson RE/MAX and Anne Larson State Farm and all members of the community were welcome to express their creative side.
The second 2017 Art Night Out featured the final product which was a rusty Herbie the Love Bug similar to the one featured in the movie "Herbie Goes Bananas." All members of the community were welcome to the "Art Bug" table as we offered a fun color sheet designed by Mike Johnson and drawn by the famous artist from Car Toons magazine George Trosley. How fun it was to have people visit the table and tell me stories about their VW Bug experiences, their Herbie the Love Bug stories and others just enjoying being creative with their coloring sheets.
Yes some of what I presented in my Art Grant application was not met due to people becoming uncommitted, financial constraints, and time. We ended up being above budget, being over on time and one person (me) doing a lot of work but I created something fun. I used a lot of great local resources including my kids (my helpers as I called them) to complete my art project. Heck even my neighbor loaned me his over-sized industrial compass so I could draw the large 53 circles to prep the car for the decals made by Morrell's Printing of Lafayette.
Thank you to all those that helped me, my wife's patience, Raj and others at the City of Lafayette for helping me make this artwork come to life. My advice to others is take time to think outside the box on what your art project could be and how you can make it a real thing. Then go to the link above (Art Grant) and fill out the form and start making your dream come true. Do that thing you want to do, become who you want to become and be in the moment. Don't count yourself out because sometimes its the process (the ups and downs) that makes you tough. And good!
Chris