Tomorrow, there is a holiday fair at our town elementary school. I bought a vendor table. This will be the first time doing something like this, trying to sell the stuff I’ve made to people in front of me rather than online. It’s intimidating, but it’s actually been a really great motivator. If I sell nothing tomorrow, I’ll have lots of new stuff to list in my shop. Usually I add one or two items at a time, with lots of lag time between new listings. The fair has made me buckle down and make stuff.
It’s also pushed me to try making some items I’ve wanted to add to my shop, but never got around to or put off because I wasn’t exactly sure how they’d turn out. Every new attempt has been great! Plus, it’s made me remember how much I enjoy playing with fabric and color and texture.
I’m a perfectionist, so I often procrastinate doing new things unless I think it will be done perfectly, or close to it. This fair has made me release that. This blog challenge is doing the same for my writing. Being a solo pastor is doing the same for my preaching. I need something that forces me to just do it, already, and stop putting it (whatever it is) off! Not every attempt will be great, and that’s ok. By doing, I am practicing and improving and learning to be ok with the times I’m mediocre or worse. Adding one item every few months made me feel like the item needed to be awesome and innovative. Writing a blog post every few months made me feel like every post had to be profound. Preaching only once a month made me feel like I had to knock it out of the park every time I stepped into the pulpit. There was no room for mistakes, no room for failure, which left less room for taking chances and just playing around–which any creative person will tell you is key to creativity.
So, I’m hoping that after the fair, and after this blog challenge, I’ll keep doing. I’ll keep creating, even if no one else has any interest in what I make or write, because it benefits me. I think this shall be my new mantra: “Just do it, already!”
birch & raven 