ON MAKING PROGRESS
I’ve had a hard time getting things done lately. Yesterday I power-washed 3/4 of our outside space. I was so exhausted after 4 hours that I finally had to stop. There is a distinct line on the front walk where I chose (had) to stop. I’m not hiding it from anyone. Today I’m a little bit sore. Not happening yet.
It’s the same way with my creativity lately. I drew my design on these stamps, but I haven’t carved them yet. I have new prints ready for my shop, but I haven’t decided for sure which ones will make the cut. The list goes on, but suffice it to say, I do not love my lack of action.
It’s time to start favoring action. What does this mean? It means 3/4 of the power-washing is done, which is better than none and makes it easier to finish. It means my print design is just waiting for me on these blocks, ready to carve (that’s the fun part anyway, right?). It means that I don’t have to finish something every time I sit down, but I do have to keep making progress. It doesn’t matter if the progress is “wrong” because there is no such thing. Progress, good or bad, moves you forward. You learn from your mistakes, change things, and move on. Now you know what NOT to do.
Being paralyzed by decisions means you’re making them too big. I have been working on my shop/website rebuild, and I keep trying to decide what direction I want to take my shop in— do I want to have focused products, all handmade, just artwork, or a wider selection beyond what I make? This has paralyzed me. It’s like I have to figure out my entire business all over again. However, when I break it down, I realize that my work is what matters. I’m going to try a few new products and pull some others. It’s ok that it’s not a huge relaunch with entirely different products. I’m taking steps forward, and I can always tweak the mix at any point going forward. It is not set in stone.
The longer I wait to relaunch, the more I miss out on and the longer it takes me to learn what works and what doesn’t. Procrastination be damned. I’m taking action, and I hope you will too. Now I’m off to carve those blocks, but the front walk is going to have to wait.
