Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Diary of a Trailblazer: So Totally Worth It.

Since quitting, I've spent most of my time tidying the apartment and making fake bacon and eggs (stockpiling because I think they're gonna be big sellers) but I haven't really done any paintings.  I think I was having my whole "fear of failure" paralysis thing; I mean, I have a ton of ideas for art, I just have a hard time starting any of them.

But yesterday, at The Boy's gentle urging, I forced myself to power through my mental block and start painting.  I told myself that if I tried something and it didn't work, nobody would ever know but me...I could screw up a hundred times and just quietly throw those attempts in the trash and start again.  The only work my potential customers will ever see is what I choose to put in my store - the good stuff - and even my failures will be learning experiences, so the rewards of starting a new painting would far outweigh the risks, so just go already.

And I did, and my ideas snowballed, and since yesterday I've made like a dozen adorable little 4"x6" paintings (mostly of cartoon food; I'm still on that food kick).  I feel freaking awesome - today and yesterday are everything I ever hoped my jobless life would be.  I feel productive and energized and fulfilled and amazing.

What's that you say?  You want proof of my awesome prolificness?  Well then:

I told you I'm a messy painter!
Confession time: if you've been to my Etsy store lately and it seemed pitifully understocked, it's because I've decided to switch from Etsy over to a different selling venue called Artfire.  But I don't want to open an Artfire store with a handful of things in it and gradually build from there; I want to pack my virtual shelves with a wide selection of incredible art before I invite the public to come browse.  In the meantime, there's going to be a bit of a lag as my Etsy listings slowly expire and I work like crazy behind the scenes to get my Artfire store into shape.

At this point I'd say I'm nicely on track to having a truly righteous Artfire shop.  Let's hope my productive streak continues 'cause I can hardly wait to show you my brand new digs!

5 comments:

  1. Wow I found my alter ego.. I think you paint as I.
    I love your Creativity. Best of luck to you..

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  2. I've found it's always best to paint naked. That way you don't ruing any clothes. Can't wait to see the new stuff!!

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  3. Groove Press - thank you!

    Mia - totally! Also, no sleeves to shed cat hair onto my work. :D

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