Maria did not paint for five years. She was a good art student, but she stopped painting. She became an accountant instead. Her younger brother Lucas studied sculpture. He looked up to Maria's art skills. But Maria did not believe in herself anymore.
One Tuesday afternoon, Lucas brought a guest to Maria's apartment. His name was Mr. Chen. He was a retired art teacher. Mr. Chen found Maria's old paintings online. "Your paintings are very good," he said. "Why did you stop?"
Maria told him her worries. Art was not safe. She needed money. Mr. Chen listened. Then he hit the nail on the head: "You are afraid to fail. So you already failed because you did not try."
Maria felt very sad and very happy. They drank coffee and talked about her future. Mr. Chen said that in the long run, you must do work you love. Money is not the most important thing. He wanted to help her paint again.
That night, Maria made up her mind. She would paint again. First, she needed to sort out her money. She could not leave her job now. But she could paint in the evenings and on weekends.
Many months passed. Maria painted new pictures. Lucas showed her work to his friends at art school. The idea began to catch on. Many people wanted to buy her paintings.
One year later, Maria had her first art show. Mr. Chen came. Lucas came too. Maria was very happy. She told Mr. Chen, "Thank you. You helped me remember why I love art."
Mr. Chen smiled. "I just helped you remember what you already knew."