Happily Ever After... Its a Work in Progress - When I Grow Up

Happily Ever After... Its a Work in Progress - When I Grow Up Linda Tieu is another sweet n creative Clubhouser o mine (and yes, the doors are still open, in case youre wonderin), and I just loved reading about what shes been through and the journey shes still on to create a business based in passion, experience, lessons and love. Yup all that goodness is below! The Fairytale When I tell people about how a Californian girl like me ended up living in the Tuscan hills of Italy, I invariably get the oos and ahhs of envy. What a fairytale story! The love of my life just happens to come from a place that everyone wished they lived in. When the stars aligned, I was able to quit my corporate job â€" arrivederci to the Man! I moved to Italy, got married and skipped happily and willingly into a tranquil country living lifestyle. Like a whirlwind princess story, the big move was pivotal in my life. It was a new beginning and everything seemed to light up with possibility. I was very much taken by my own story the fantasy of it all. The Reality Of course, we all know how misleading a well-timed freeze frame can be. Like most stories, everything always sounds perfect from the outside view. The truth is that no one actually lives continuously in that state of happily ever after. Theres a cold and harsh reality that no one seems to want to admit or mention. Its easy to be mesmerized by the fantasy of what things could be, rather than concentrating on actually making it happen with your bare hands. Turns out that living in a beautiful place where the accent makes you swoon a little, actually doesnt make it any easier to run a creative business. When you shine the light on your life, wherever you are youll find that we all go through the same struggles and issues. They dont mention it in the stories, but Im pretty sure princesses still have to deal with the realities of everyday life. After living in Italy for 3 years and pursuing my creative passions, Ive experienced many ups and downs of being a creative entrepreneur. From amazing successes that I never imagined possible to being burned badly and hiding in shame for days. Its a challenging road, even if the Italian scenery is breathtaking. It was pivotal for me to understand that there is no nirvana state of happily ever after. I had to hustle and get to work to make things happen, because the fairytale story is written by my actions day to day. The Creative Entrepreneur Toolkit I realized that I have no obligation to carry out a fantasy story imagined by others around me. Thats why I created The Creative Entrepreneur Toolkit that sums up my entrepreneurial education thus far, with a walkthrough of exactly what Ive done to plan for a year of creative business success. I combine cute design with my illustrated characters to create a guided journey of creative business wisdom along with inspirational art and load of printables and worksheets. Its my trusty companion to truly living and thriving as a creative business owner. It turns out that although fairytale stories are beautiful, in the end you have to keep on adding to that story with your own blood, sweat and tears. From hard lessons learned to magical moments of sublime success, happily ever after is truly a work in progress. Linda Tieu is a creative entrepreneur living in the beautiful Tuscan hills of Italy. She offers graphic and web design services by day while pursuing her artistic design and illustration passions by night. You can find her drawing, writing and generally creating cuteness at http://www.LindaTieu.com. *************