TheAngstyArtist Anniversary

I started this blog just over a year ago. I set a goal to improve my wire skills for one year and blog about it.


So often when I start something new and unknown in my life, I suffer doubts and negative thinking that discourages me from applying myself. I have thoughts that say "You'll never be as good as so and so" "Why do you put so much time into this, you'll only be disappointed?" "You just don't have what it takes for this". "You don't have good style" "Your style will look stupid". "You're stupid".


My whole life I have been that way. I have gotten where I am today, mostly by ignoring these negative thoughts and having some guts to face my fears.


I had originally set a goal of one year in order to silence those negative thoughts. I told those negative thoughts that they could judge me in one year, that it's too early to make judgements when one is just starting out on a new adventure.


As the year has passed, I have become more fearless in embracing my own sense of style and trusting my own instincts. I'm more at peace with my creative self. My creative work has become more fulfilling. My skills have improved enormously.


This peace and creative flow did not come with out some low points. There were months or weeks of severe doubts and discouragement through out the year. Each low point ended with a sudden increase in creativity and also sudden improvement in skills. The lower the pit, the higher was the creative wave that followed it.


I hung in there. I'm proud of myself. I'm so happy with how this year has ended. I can look those negative judgemental voices in the eye and say "Well?" and they are silent.


My original goal last year, was to work on my skills for 2 years and see where I ended up. I find I want to carry on the original goal of 2 years. My first priority is still to continue to grow in my own nicely developing style and improve my wire skills. I want to make even more intricate and interesting wire work if I can.


Selling my work is still a secondary issue for me. Worries about money did come up from time to time throughout the year and I expect that will continue this year also. I do care about selling and will do what I can to improve sales, but marketing and selling is still a secondary goal and not top priority. You all know it's just so much more fun to make things without worry about money or what the customers will think! :))


But I do plan to start a Facebook page this year and make something exciting to give a way when I get that started. I am hoping that Facebook will encourage sales. Of course you will hear about it on my Blog when I do that.