Since I was in undergraduate studies, I have loved Georgia O’Keeffe.

I love her bold colours and exaggerated shapes and scale.

A few weeks ago, I was in Santa Fe, New Mexico for a conference. I went to the Georgia O’Keeffe museum and saw her works up close and personal.

They took my breath away.

 

Beyond her undeniable talent, I was struck by her tenacity to pursue her own goals and dreams.

In the museum, I watched a video about her life. In that video she said something so profound I had to watch the whole movie again so I could write it down:

Being a painter takes courage. I always felt I walked on the edge of a knife. On this knife I might fall off on either side. But I’d walk it again. So what. So what if you do fall off? I’d rather be doing something I really wanted to do.
— Georgia O’Keeffe

So what?

So what if you do fall off?

Georgia O’Keeffe was born in 1887 and died in 1986.  In an era where there was a lot to hold her back, she did not hold herself back.

So my friends, living our lives takes courage.

We are walking on the edges of knives.

We will make mistakes.

We will fall off. We will hurt ourselves.

So what?

Choose what it is your life is for.

I choose my life and my path. So what if I fall off? Because just like Georgia O’Keeffe, I’d rather be doing something I really want to do.