I love the New Year if only because I love beginnings, fresh starts, and moving with renewed vigor toward what I want. This year, I find myself holding back, waiting to exhale, wondering how bad it will be. But maybe that's not the best posture for making art. So, I invite you to join me in making 2017 the year you say "yes" to your art. But how? Here's my partial list:
- “Yes” to quiet early mornings before email to write.
- “Yes” to showing up as a writer and performer. (I'll be performing with Portland Story Theater again on May 5.)
- “Yes” to being an even better artist coach and sharing more ways to help artists practice persistence both in the making and marketing of art. (Join me in Hillsboro, Oregon on February 23)
- “Yes” to staying connected to friends and practicing warmth.
The rumblings of this “year of yes” started back in September when I heard about a writers conference that Poets & Writers was hosting in San Francisco on Inspiration. When it was time to go to the Poets & Writers LIVE, I decided to say “yes” to as many opportunities as I could — so I said “yes” to reading at their “open mike." I said “yes” to the submitting my query letter to a panel of agents for a public critique. (See photo above.) I learned so much in those 15 minutes on how to shape revisions to my manuscript.
We have so much to distract us from the quiet, slow work of making things and marketing them to an audience. Let your “yes” deepen your artistic practice, let your "yes" help you write a more exciting newsletter, send a more thoughtful tweet and smile more at people on the street.
What are you saying "yes!" to this year despite all the fear and trembling that could scare you away?
Thank you Melissa Faliveno of Poet & Writers for the photo.