Being The Brave Turtle

I’ve started reading a new book titled Show Your Work by Austin Kleon. It was recommended in a YouTube video I watched recently. I ended up going down the YouTube rabbit hole because I was curious about how to build a better following on Gumroad. Gumroad University links to YouTube with the search term “how to use Gumroad,” which brings up all kinds of videos about their platform. But I already knew how to use the platform—what I really needed was guidance on growing my audience, and that wasn’t as easy to find.

Reading this book has been incredibly helpful in encouraging me to do something I’ve been nervous about: sharing more.

If you’ve noticed, my Facebook, Instagram, and other social media accounts aren’t as active as they could be. I constantly receive emails from people offering to help with my website and content strategy, but I never bite because I don’t want to pay someone to do this for me. I know I’m capable of doing it myself—if only I had the confidence.

I lack confidence for many reasons:

• The usual inner thought demons telling me I’m not as good as the artists I admire, like Sarah Renae Clark or Makoccino. 💜 🎨 🖍️ 💙
• The frustration of posting to social media only to be met with spam comments or private messages trying to sell me something.

In his book, Austin Kleon suggests sharing something small every day—starting with my own website. Since I already have my own domain, I’ve decided to use it differently. I don’t need to rely on social media if it gives me anxiety. Instead, I’ll start using my blog to share more of my thoughts, my process, and even my works in progress. Maybe I’ll even show things that feel like failed attempts.

As I often remind my daughters, who are now 7 and 9 years old—mistakes help us learn and grow. So why should I let the fear of failure hold me back? I should embrace it as an opportunity to improve.

Like one of my coloring pages says, I need to be brave and stick my neck out more so I can move forward!

Have you ever felt stuck, hiding in your shell about something? Send me a message below—I’d love to chat! 💬