An Unrealistic Life: The Art of Following Your Dream Without Getting a Real Job

Are you a millennial who is tired of the corporate structure and thinking of escape? Or are you approaching retirement and ready to follow your own creative longings? Are you disappointed with life where you are and dreaming of starting over in another country? Are you a frustrated artist who’s been stifled by doing what’s expected instead of breaking out on your own? This illustrated memoir describes the highs and lows of being an artist and how visions become reality. Visions of traveling the world, visions of creating art, and visions of finding a place to live near the sea. Advised by her family to get a “real job” because her life was unrealistic and her income erratic, Elena’s despair became a quest to find other creative people defying the norm to pursue their passion. Where would she find them? How could she do this on a limited budget? Fascinating people appeared in her life as Elena followed “the path with heart.” Her journey includes profiles of Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher: photographers capturing the ephemeral ceremonies of African tribes. . Eddy L. Harris, whose acclaimed book Mississippi Solo recounts his journey battling the currents in a canoe. Natasha Moraga, whose vision created a sparkling mosaic park in Puerto Vallarta. Daniela Arcuri, who danced and taught tango around the world. Misael Ivan Lopez, a resilient survivor of deportation, whose vibrant murals beautify the streets in coastal Mexico. And then, in a mid-life reinvention, Elena announced to family and friends that she was going to sell her house and studio to live near an ocean. “What ocean?” they asked. “I’ll let you know when I find it,” she answered. Read An Unrealistic Life to learn about making friends and building community in a new country. Photographs from Pittsburgh to Paris, Borneo to Buenos Aires taken during Elena’s solo travels enhance these adventurous tales of romance and betrayal, the lure of tango, and ceremonies with Aztec dancers in the Mexican desert. An Unrealistic Life: The Art of Following Your Dream Without Getting a Real Job shows by inspirational example how stepping outside your comfort zone can lead to a life of authenticity. Feeling stuck in a conventional job, city or marriage? Ready to begin your own journey of creativity and discovery? Hesitate no more! Click the BUY NOW button at the top of the page! View Less