take the first step – Stephanie Richey Art

I have finally been finishing up the book Thinkertoys. I have read the first half of the book several times but never finished it. I like the first two-thirds, but then it goes through several very repetitive sections, and then the end has been pretty good. But regardless, this book has made me more aware of opportunities that have been presented to me. Some have been ones I had been leaning toward already, others I wasn’t even aware of, and may have missed had I not been in the mindset of looking for ideas and new ways of doing things.

The first was something I had been working toward but wasn’t sure I was quite ready to do. I bought an archival quality printer last winter as some might remember me writing about. My goal was to get to the point of not only printing my art but printing other people’s art as another avenue of income. I recently had an artist approach me about a large run of prints as well as note cards. At first, I was a little bit hesitant to even give him a price, lacking confidence in my ability to do so. But as I thought about it, I decided that I have been digitizing and printing my own art and it looks great, so why not try someone else’s art. The worst that can happen is he doesn’t like the proofs, so he doesn’t order the larger quantity. I decided to give him a price the next time I saw him, which was last Friday at the market. He thought it was a reasonable price and said he would get back to me this week. I am now nervously waiting to hear his answer. Either way, I am grateful for the kick in the pants to get me going on this endeavor, like I’ve said before, the first step is the hardest one!

The second opportunity came from a friend in a different field of art. The opportunity to put my art on a different art medium. I am going to write about this in more detail when the project is completed, but in researching the process for adding art, I was surprised and excited by the many possibilities, especially the possibility of using what I know about watercolor to possibly create a whole different product. It will be interesting to see how this first piece turns out, and to try other options as well. I am grateful for my friend who had the inspiration to offer these pieces in this format for personalization of the product that she carries.

I love this quote. I know that years ago this quote would have applied directly to me. I feel like I have come a long way since then, and I hope that I never allow something seemingly hard to influence my desire to try or complete it. There are opportunities all around us every day. I miss a lot of them because I don’t have the right mindset to be looking for them, but I hope I am changing that perspective as well. I hope you never allow a perceived challenge to daunt your desire to try something new, and that you look for those new opportunities that are all around each one of us every day. Take the opportunity to try something new today!

How often do we want something, something big, but we allow fear to overcome our desire to take the first step forward? I have written a little bit about this subject before, but we are coming to the end of one year and starting a new year, and I have been thinking about fear and how it affects my ability to make changes and take the first steps in my goal setting.

This past year I have learned a lot about myself and the things I do to allow fear to stop me in my progress. Consequently, I have been able to push past barriers that have, in the past, been difficult for me to navigate beyond. I have learned that starting is the hardest part. Have you ever noticed, or maybe it’s just me, that when I can take that first step, when I can get out the door, or paint that first brush stroke of color on the completely blank piece of paper, that great things happen?

This life is full of so many new, scary adventures, that aren’t really that bad, usually, once we get going. But it’s often that first step that is so hard. That first step to more success in our personal lives, in our health and well-being, in our career or finding a new career, in our goals, or whatever scares us. Once we get that first step out of the way, well then, we’re in it and we can deal with the various challenges that arise, because we’ve already made that commitment by embarking on a new path.

I’m not sure yet what my new goals and challenges will be for 2022. When I started this blog, I thought I’d do it for a while and see where it went. I have enjoyed writing and enjoyed sharing who I am with you. I am going to continue with my blog, and I hope you’ll continue with me! I have a new printer, and new opportunities, some of them a little bit scary, that will play into the next step in my business journey. I said at the beginning of last year that I don’t set new year’s resolutions, and I still say that. I am not a resolution kind of person. But I do set goals, not necessarily at the beginning of a new year, but as I progress along throughout the year. That will continue. I love to see the progress that I make with each new goal that I embark on. With that progress, I love that it gives me the drive and determination to continue on to new, scary adventures that I can take the first step on.

So, with 2022 fast approaching, if you are a new year’s resolution kind of person, I hope you not only set those goals, but take the first step. And, if you’re like me, I hope you just continue to see ways to improve, no matter what time of year it is. No matter what, continue to improve each and every day, and never let fear determine who you are, or where you are going.