Be Kind, Rewind

Be kind, rewind. It’s not just the catchphrase used by our beloved, long gone, Blockbuster. It’s also something that I’ve been working to implement in my life.

As September and October came around this year, I was completely overwhelmed by how much my brain decided NEEDED to be done. I signed up for two vendor shows for the first time in a couple of years, and felt like I needed to do (and buy) a ton of stuff to prep. 

I bought around 20 wooden pieces of Halloween decor to paint, wanting to get all of it done in time for Halloween weekend, that didn’t happen. I wanted to get my website updated with more print on demand products, that didn’t happen. I wanted to print out a certificate of authenticity for all of my artwork, that didn’t happen. I wanted to paint more Halloween items for a local store, that didn’t happen. I wanted to get all of my items posted to Etsy, that didn’t happen. All of this, and about 20 more things I wanted to do and didn’t get to.

I’m naturally hard on myself. I love to plan, and I always have way more ideas than I know what to do with. Society has also formed the message of “you’re lazy if you’re not being productive”, and productivity was only measured by how much you worked at your job, or around your house. It’s a combo that makes for a lot of potential self loathing. So how do I navigate this, and push myself forward without feeling too bad about what I didn’t get done?

Be kind. It’s ok to go slower and not get everything done. Recognize that you can be emotionally productive by taking time for yourself to relax. 

Rewind. Stop. Breathe. Look back at what you DID accomplish, and give yourself credit for it. Don’t downplay it. 

Here are some of my biggest accomplishments in 2024:

• I vended at two music festivals this year (Rave Til The Grave & Nova)
• I painted about half of the wooden decor I bought for Hallowen, prepped the rest to be painted AND wrote down ideas for most of them so I can easily paint them when I’m ready.
• I published over 70 new print on demand items to my website; including bags, jackets, phone cases 
• I painted over 65 new pieces
• I sold about 10 painting to local shops: Everybody’s Glass & Other Art in Old Town Spring, and My Happy Place in Kingwood
• I sold about 160 necklaces to Sick Beets, who vends at music festivals all over the country!
• I got several new paintings posted to my Etsy page. 
• I officially filed (and got approved) as an LLC
• I published my first (and now second) blog

I might not have gotten everything done that I wanted to, but I made a lot of progress that I’m proud of.