Keep At It

I’m not going to candy coat the emotions that I have experienced over the last three weeks. It is been hard.  It has been challenging. It has been a barrage of emotions colliding with absolute pure excitement as I work on selling my art with a national brand. Until I have it up and running I won’t disclose the name of the company.  It’s a whole new level of experience that I’ve personally never experienced.

I have taken breaks from working and sitting at my computer workingto learn the system.   Each break resulted in painting like crazy. Crazy wild painting to ease my process. Trying to ease the level of anxiety in this new project.

The picture above is my drop cloth. Maybe a mess. Maybe a beautiful abstract painting.

I have wanted to give up, quit and think this is not worth the trouble. Trouble equals my learning curve.  The reality is for the last 10 months I have went through all the trouble to get here and now that I’m here I’m facing another huge mountain.

Ever feel like you want to give up? I felt that way last november. I had decided last spring that I wanted to have a goal of  painting and being a supplier to larger box store and online markets. It seemed unrealistic but as I walk through department stores and design stores I would see their stock pictures and think, ” Wow I can do better than that.”  Given my interior design background and my flare for color and trending colors I decided that would be my goal. And to work I went learning another side to a retail industry I grew up in and love.

Last February I read an article about how successful painters will paint over 150 pieces a year.   I got to work. Two art studios. Fully supplied with everything to have success in painting. I have in my stock house over 200 pieces that are ready to go when it’s go time.

I submitted applications, knocked on doors and virtually got nothing in return. All doubts have tried to rob my soul of creativity and confidence,  I read something that was on Zig Ziglar’s Facebook page.  It went something like this, ” Don’t give up today because tomorrow might be the day that things change everything.” After having read that and going through the emotions of wanting to give up I decided  to take one day at a time. Daily thanking God for today.  Do the work each day. Thanking God daily for Gordon, my family, my friends who encourage me. Then I’m going to take the next day and repeat.  One day at a time.

One afternoon I opened my email up with an invitation to become part of this national retail organization.  I about flipped over backwards in my chair. I read, reread, and read the email countless times. Then I looked up every detail the email provided to make sure it was not a fake. It was real as the next day was followed by countless emails to get started.

A few days later another opportunity presented itself, another big company interested in my art.  Within 3 days I had more adrenaline pumping through my veins that I could have imagined. What next? Where do I start? I had all my ducks in a row. I am ready. The hard work was behind me…so I thought.

As with any goal we might have there’s going to be a hill to climb and then you might get to the what you think is the top and then you walk another mile and there’s another big hill and that is where I am today.

I get to the top of what I think is a plateau, take a pause, journal, thank God, pray and then I paint some more and then I get back at it. Working through the next hill which is really a mountain which is really a universe in my book of realities to face and climb through my learning curve.

When I attended the Art Institute of Seattle there was this project that we were given in my painting class. Itt was to scribble on a page without lifting your pen and then paint it using only five colors. Then there was another project which was to freehand sharp corners and edges and then paint using only two colors.

When I felt overwhelmed while in art school I would always go back to this little exercise and I kind of felt like it was the elementary school’s version of paint by number except there were no numbers.

Guess who brought back this exercise after almost 35 years I sat down yesterday I made the squiggle lines, I chose my colors. I made the sharp lines and I chose my colors. I knocked it out. This exercise brought such peace and calm. I think the reason is is because it was a start and a finish in one day.

I am truly blessed in this journey to have this opportunity. I know I will learn the things I don’t know. I am teachable. This process is challenging. If you are in the beginning of your goals keep at. If you are in the middle keep at it. If you have arrived make new goals and keep at it.

As you can see it’s been a stressful week based on the number of pieces produced this week. I will keep at it.

Have a wonderful week. Elizabeth