Do Not Stop
It doesn’t matter how slow you go, as long as you do not stop. — Confucius
Today I am resuming my encouragement posts here at Birch Tree Studio after hitting pause when my website was hacked in October. There were moments during that ordeal when I really, really felt so overwhelmed and tired, I was ready to quit — throw in the towel on this whole artist thing. Making the decision to work full-time as a professional artist has been a decision I’ve wrestled with countless times: Is this really worth doing?
My husband likes to make make fun of the gray planner I spend time writing in every evening. It’s become my external brain, and I’d feel lost without it. (Ok, I’m probably a bit compulsive about it.) In my planner I write out tasks for my day, week, and month. It helps me focus on what I’m working towards and evaluate what I’ve accomplished. Normally, I set a pretty high bar, but on those days when I feel like quitting I allow myself to simply slow way down rather than totally quit. On those days I may only complete the 2 tasks I have promised to do every day: write and paint. The check boxes for writing and painting are listed on every daily plan in my little gray book. I have found these 2 commitments to be invaluable for simply not stopping.
Is there something you are committed to doing daily?
Have you had moments of wanting to quit?
What keeps you from stopping?
Down an Ancient Path
The BIRCH TREE STUDIO BLOG