Driving back from Vegas. I figured a nice, easy trip. Leave before the sun’s up, no traffic, keep awake with a steady supply of music from the ’90s meanwhile drinking my weight in water and fruit drinks.
Then the rain started to come down. Then I ended up in a King Hell storm the likes of which I haven’t seen in years.
Before it was all over, I’d passed six cars which had spun out on the road, including a cop car. I was white-knuckling it for a good portion of the five-hour drive, alternating between the resigned calm of someone who knows with a grim inevitability that they are about to experience something horrible, and the glee of a person bathed in good luck. Because, frankly, I’m a damned good driver. But it was 100% luck that I didn’t end up in a ditch on the side of the road.
Basically, I was too dumb to listen to the fear telling me to just pull over and wait it out. I’ll be damned if I’ll let fear tell me what to do!!
Which is, I’m sure, what Laurenn has been telling herself all week. Laurenn, already a successful illustrator and graphic designer, decided to go back to college a little while ago, to get herself a master’s degree. She wants to shift her career towards being a Professional Artist. And this week was her Mid-Way show, which was the very reason I was in Vegas, see.
And, I gotta say, I’m damned impressed with Laurenn. She’s older than her fellow grad students, and as I watched them critique her work before the show yesterday, my skin crawled. I’d have an extremely hard time taking criticism from little whipper-snappers that didn’t have nearly as much life experience as myself.
Maybe it’s the fear that they’d be right. Frankly, the whole thing is a bundle of fears I’d rather not deal with. But that hasn’t stopped Laurenn. Her show was a smash, place was packed, everybody dug it. Of course, among the many differences, my making it home in one piece? Luck. Her putting together a fresh art show? All skill.
But I think there’s that similar feel of glee at the end of both. That “I made it!!!! AHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!!!” feeling. And that feeling is mighty fine.
Go check out Laurenn’s work, past & present: http://www.laurennmccubbin.com
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