"You aries women are always so focused on your careers..."

I'm in the midst of designing for my first client. My kitchen table is a mess, covered in colored pencils, pens, ruler, drawing paper, plant books, garden plans, aloe vera plants, and I love it. Yesterday I visited their house on the outskirts of the city limits. We walked through the backyard together. She told me "We're not on a budget. Design whatever you like." It was like music to my ears. To have the luxury of designing what I *want* in someone's half acre backyard is a total dream. I'm envisioning tall oleander trees lining the fence, magnolias, an intricate vegetable garden with Provencal paths, and colorful southwestern flower beds (roses too) accented with sand and beveled glass. She added that she would like to have me design a container garden for their courtyard in the future, and that she would be happy to recommend me to the neighborhood because "people are always looking for a landscape designer." I felt like I hit the jack pot. To go out on a limb and pursue something you love feels terrifying and also gratifying. Self-doubt is usually lurking in the background. Am I going to fuck it up? Am I going to fail? Can I actually do this?? I know I can't expect perfection in the beginning, but I have a good feeling about working as a designer, like it comes naturally. My second client, I'm meeting her this weekend to discuss how to re-design her backyard. I'll feel more confident as soon as I have these initial designs under my belt. I think that working with the city to revitalize areas too down the road could be an interesting project to be involved with. In regards to following my heart more, I've decided that my creative writing workshop series is in the works. I would like to teach a fall class on poetry, the short story and novel, and maybe a creative workshop on art therapy techniques for social workers and therapists to use with their clients (creative writing is naturally part of that). I will have to write out a curriculum for each workshop and figure out where the hell I'm going to teach! It could be out of my home dining room at first. I feel like it is now or never. Follow what you *really* want to be doing with your life. Right now.