Dear Internet. I have failed. Again.  And it might be the best thing that ever happened. Because failure can be a doorway into the practice of living courageously.

 

Failing doesn’t make you a failure.  It means you are stepping out into uncertainty.

Without failure, there is no growth. And sometimes the bravest thing we can do is recognize what we are doing, just isn’t working.

Last weekend I realized that I’ve spent a decade asking an incomplete question:

What can I do that I could build a business around?

*** Cue the parade of the next best ideas and business cards to go with them. ***

I’ve learned so much and nothing is wasted.  But the question I need to ask is: Out of all the things I can do well and that the market has space for (because business can’t be built out of fairy dust), what do I WANT to invest my life in?

Beloved, we need to ask not just what can we do to earn a living, but what do we want to do to build a life.

I’ve spent the last week ripping my business down to the studs.

And it was scary.  Ok, that’s an understatement.  Terrifying. And wonderful.

For the better part of a year, I’ve whispered in the edges of my days… I just want to build a business where I can encourage people.

Where beauty has gravity to ground and to change things.

Where I can bring the very best parts of my journey to serve and encourage you in yours.

It’s happening.  And here we are.

Together we’ll find the lessons that are paint-splattered and slightly wrinkled, buried under paper stacks on my desk and jotted on the nearest empty envelope flap.

I want to pour courage out in words that strengthen your soul and let you know you are worth fighting for.  Lines that help you remember you are not alone.  And share artful resources for building a creative business that is yours, smudged with your fingerprints, filled with the weight of your giftedness…

Creativity and creative business are nothing if not exercises in the practice of living courageously.

So here it goes.

This is post #1 in a brand new world on a brave new journey and I can’t wait to share the road with you.

Here are some of the types of content I am lining up for this space:

• Studio Life and stories behind the scenes.  I’m pulling the curtain back and will be blogging here regularly with helpful lessons along the way.
• Pigment & Page, sharing the intention and encouragement rooted in individual pieces of art, writing words that I hope hold space for your soul to breathe.
• Reflections on rest and resilience and rising, and creative practice.
• Artful tools and tips to help you grow your creative business, as I am growing mine.  We’ll grow our creative businesses together 😉

I am so glad you’re here. Let me leave you with this… especially if you are a multipassionate creative who is feeling stuck in your business growth.

Are you limiting your creative practice or business by only focusing on things you can do well?  Are the skills you are building a business on, the ones you want to invest your life in? If not, what needs to change so you can create your most meaningful work?