April Showers, We'll See About Flowers

It's the consistent drizzle of little efforts that count in the long run

April is coming to a close today. As far as my art goals, they didn't go the way I had hoped and planned. I'm not convinced that's a bad thing, even though I've had to fight thoughts telling me it is most definitely is a bad thing.

One of my primary goals was to get into a good routine with both crediting my art and promoting it. I'm not so much in it for the sales right now, but I'm building a brand and so trying to do those things that will lead to sales. Just doing the daily little things like posting on social media, uploading my art, creating new art, blogging. There are so many things I could do, but I'm just trying to stick with the basics so that my joy doesn't get buried by the to-do list.

In truthful retrospect, I can say that I'm not as committed as I thought I was. I'm still committed, but I didn't make all those things happen as I would if this was indeed the priority I thought it was (and still want it to be). I've chosen to not losing more sleep than I already do, walks with my kids, chatting with my husband, and working on another writing project over creating and promoting at times. I've had a long week of family sickness and another of my own roller-coaster-ride PMS. Sometimes it just felt too overwhelming to push myself any harder than I was.

I look at all this and see where I've fallen short, but I also have compassion on myself and know that the "rain" I'm contributing to my art journey is causing growth, even if unseen at the moment. I During the month of April, there has been a week or two of steady drizzle, a day or so of sporadic downpours, and stretches without a cloud in the sky. It's the way April should be. My efforts, though not in a consistent routine, are what they should be. And surprisingly enough, just as I was telling myself not to hope for any "May flowers," within the past few days ideas sprouted so unexpectedly from seeds I had no idea were there.

Now I'm ready to nurture these new little sprouts and see what May brings. I do expect some flowers.