Conflicted...

 On the days leading up to 2016 I spent some time thinking about what I wanted out of this brand, new year and one of the things that kept popping to the fore was making this art thing *work*. What that exactly means? I had ...have... no idea. It sounds good though, right?

Earlier I mentioned reading Show Your Work by Austin Kleon,  a marketing book for self-professed haters of promotion. And as is Mr. Kleon's style, he succinctly wraps up the entire book into a lovely easy peasy list:

1.  You don't have to be a genius.
2. Think process, not product.
3. Share something small every day.
4. Open up your cabinet of curiosities.
5. Tell good stories.
6. Teach what you know.
7. Don't turn into human spam.
8. Learn to take a punch.
9. Sell out.
10. Stick around.

There are many, many good, simple, non-pandering points in this book.
Some I've known and practiced ... do the work, share, teach what you know... and some I've known but haven't been as good at ... sharing every day, being able to take criticism and not let it be personal. Some frankly, I never thought I would do ... being human spam for example... and therein lies the rub.

As I ramp up this  blog and my soon-to-be-sent newsletter, the product is becoming more important than the process. And that's put me in a whole spot of bother. With the schedule I've set up for myself, I find I'm getting really sick of ...well... ME! And let's not talk about re-trying Etsy or looking for a representational gallery or setting up an IRL show.

Every fiber of my being is screaming, "Run! Run for the hills!"
But.
I'll just sit here and Adult. Finish typing this post then hit "Schedule".
And hope it gets easier.


It's gonna get easier, right?