Much of my time over the last several weeks has been focused on art. However, I did not want to write about my pieces for art markets or my new patterns on Society6, though those are so much fun to create! My question here is, How do you react when things around you change? When you experience that moment in your life when things just don’t seem to be the same as they were a month ago, or a year ago, or ten years ago — how do you react? I find this very applicable right now to our physical season changes because just this morning I felt the stirrings of a cold front come through my town. It was a beautiful seventy-two degrees!
But also, seasons in our lives come and go. Sometimes things are amazing and joyful, and others, frustrating and discouraging. Honestly, running my own business has been a little of both. I have learned a lot:
- Keep showing up every day.
- Write for an hour daily.
- Talk to those customers about their art.
- Build new ideas.
- Draw or paint every day.
- Get out of my comfort zone.
It is so much easier to stay in my house, to cry or throw out new ideas because they didn’t work out the first — or second, or third! — time I tried.
On the other hand,
- >>I’ve chatted with people in coffee shops about my art.
- >>I’ve visited with budding artists who are interested in illustration.
- >>I’ve gotten a book signing laid down for this week.
- >>I’ve acquired two different bookstores in my area that are displaying and selling my book.
- >>One even offered to promote it on social media!
It’s hard to believe all of this change occurred in a single week, but it has. It is hard to handle all of the emotions at once, but that is part of the growth process. In the end, I know that each step I take is a new adventure, and it will get smoother. Then I’ll try something different! My goal for this season in my life is to embrace the change, yet try to work it out so that I don’t get blown away in the process.
Enjoy the season,
Hannah Marie.
