Launch Your Creativity: April 2011

You may have heard the buzz about Cassandra's

Marie's Danse des Fleurs Event but here is

the story behind the girl that dared to dream!

"It's who you know"

as told by Cassandra VanCuren

I am sure you are familiar with the phrases, "It's not what you know, but who you know!" or "It's all about who you know!!" These phrases have raised much dispute and controversy for me throughout the years. I, for one, have looked at these catchy sayings as "passed down irritating advice" that invoked negative feelings for me. I would often wonder, "How do you meet this magical person that will make my dreams come true?" And fearfully I would worry, "What if I never cross paths with my "who you know" person, then what do I do?" However, over the last year my perspective on this phrase has greatly changed.

In October of 2009 I had been entertaining the idea of hosting a Marie Antoinette inspired art event in Florida. At this time I had no idea where to even start planning a themed art event nor did I have an inkling of the thoughts, emotions, people, and new experiences that would be ahead of me! The next year would be a year of learned experiences that turned my idea into a reality. Alas, Marie's Danse des Fleurs was born, February 2011!

Cassandra with two of her guests.

Well... as you know all fairy tales have a beginning and mine starts with a man, who is my prince, and I am lucky to know and call him my husband! Despite his understanding of my artistic passions, he listened, encouraged, supported and had unwavering faith in me. Even when I doubted myself he maintained the attitude of: “You’ll never know unless you try.” And so it began...

So who did I know? Who was my special person that made my dreams come true?

I knew a special friend that spent hours listening to me dream, plan, worry, and sometimes even cry. She helped organize my thoughts, encouraged me and helped me believe in myself.

I knew women with experience in art events that were kind enough to offer their time to guide and help oversee my dream come true. I knew talented artists and businesses that had faith in my idea and also supported and donated a piece of their own time and art.

Every detail is perfect!

I knew a group of lovely women who dedicated a weekend to spend with me creating, sharing, and dreaming along with me. They traveled from coast to coast, with bags full of art supplies, gifts, art swaps and costumes to come enjoy and share what I had created for them.

Lovely attendees.

And most importantly, I knew myself!! I learned to trust my abilities in myself and in my art and therein found the confidence in which to see this dream come true. As many of you know and can relate, it is not always easy to be your own cheerleader as we are our own worse critics! However, sometimes, you have to put your weaknesses aside and focus on depending on yourself for the tools that you need in order to achieve something you have dreamed about! It’s not necessarily a matter of whether you fail or succeed, but more about the experiences and knowledge you gain by trying. Each and every thing you learn along the way is a treasured tool that helps you learn and grow into the person you ultimately dream of becoming.

So now I do believe in the passed down advice of “It’s all about who you know.” Because if it was not for the people I knew, I may not have been able to experience this artful journey. I now believe that a person’s perspective of who they see being their magical person or persons is what makes the difference! Sometimes those special magical people that can change your life are the people you already know! Perhaps even yourself! For me, seeing my dream come true was an achievement that has been life altering! I am grateful for the people who believed in me and encouraged me. Thank you!

Gorgeous!

Avery special thanks to Tiffany Kirchner Dixon, The Fancy Farmgirl who captured the essence of this lovely gathering so well! For more information on the magic she creates please visit www.thefancyfarmgirl.com