The Anticipation!

Tis the season… for anticipation!

Go back to your childhood… remember how excited you were in all the days leading up to opening presents on Christmas morning? That’s the peak dopamine hit right there. As a kid, surfing on that wave of anticipation was what Christmas was all about.

Metaphorically, that’s how I feel right now, a year and a half into an art career that continues to evolve.

When I first started, I wasn’t sure where I was going or what I was doing. I just made art and then tried to sell it, however I could. Grinding the days away with hard work and dedication, I have followed one lead after another and now, I am finally starting to see some results.

Things are taking shape. I’m starting to get a better idea of my purpose and who I am as an artist.

Art festivals. Art markets. Gallery shows. Live painting. Live sketching. Commissions. Live demonstrations. Writing. Public speaking. Being the “doodle portrait guy”.

These are all branches of my current career. I have developed each one, bit by bit, building one off the the other until things make sense.

And I am having a blast. Sure, I freak out and worry and hate myself often, but at least now I can start to see some improvement, some progression. I’m getting better, at the art and at the business.

But I’m still nowhere close to where I want to be.

That anticipation — that indestructible curiosity — keeps me on the grind. I wanna find out what’s gonna work long term to see who I am going to be. I wanna persist until a breakthrough occurs, allowing me to effortlessly engage in my work without the need for continual reimagining.

I’m old. I get tired!

So for today and tomorrow I’m going to rest. But you can bet I’ll be back on the grind Tuesday.

How about you? Are you grinding or are you coasting? And does the anticipation keep you moving forward like it does me? Tell me in the comments!