I’ve been wearing my lucky feathered themed jewelry, willing that my painting End of Spring would be selected for the Pacific Art League of Palo Alto’s regionally juried exhibition “Fur, Feathers and Fins” and happily, I found out the other day that it was!

And while it may sound silly or superstitious to be relying on charms when it comes to such matters, there’s nothing frivolous about positive thinking! These shows with a specific theme are an excellent opportunity to go out on a limb and create something specifically for that prospectus, a piece that may not have been in your direct path, perhaps something feels like a little reach for you. The only way to enter into these new arenas is with a positive can do attitude that’s open to experimentation and flexibility even failure. Knowing that missing your mark will not devastate you and being willing to accept that possibility of failure and not being paralyzed by it is a key component of self-belief.

A talisman of some kind can be a lovely reminder that you have it in you to grow and surprise yourself – and of course I just love jewelry!