It hasn't always been easy living in Paris these last three years. I've had to learn to negotiate my fear of asking for help at the BHV (department store), learn to shrug it off when someone yelled at me when they bumped into me, be insistent in asking a waiter for service, and calm my nerves when I panicked with the quagmire of bureaucracy surrounding working as a free-agent.
I should have known that when something so scared the yoga pants of me that something else was cooking. It took a while, but I finally realized what was going on.
Falling in love with the esthetics of this city, feeling the flow of the Seine in calm and storm, walking the streets until I flowed through them like the blood in my veins, has led me to my true calling.
As of May 16, 2008, the French government has declared me an "Artiste". I am now officially a member of La Maison des Artistes, which gives me tax breaks for being in the arts.
It is much easier being an artist in France than, say, a yoga teacher.
As I write this with the deepest gratitude for this city, for its challenges and its beauty, I thank Paris for showing me my true nature.
Merci Paris. You gave me the courage to walk this path that I have been tiptoeing down for many years.
Now I walk, with a sure foot, and of course, as always, camera in hand, to my first photo exhibit.
1 comment:
Good on you for forging this artistic path in Paris. We've always been struck by how generously the French government supports the arts and artists. It makes things look like a bit of a pale reflection here in the UK.
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