Waiting for the right opportunity
Oh, hi friends!
I was thinking about what it means to be shy in your work. ‘Shy’ can mean not wanting feedback or to share your in-progress piece.
But being shy can also manifest by waiting for opportunities to come to you.
Looking at the empty inbox or passively scrolling job sites.
Hoping someone might stop by and say, “You, you! What are you capable of? Show me.”
The shy person thinks, If only they could find me.
The brave person says, Here I am.
So I started to wonder about how to switch from “I hope they find me” to “Here I am.”
Solutions I’ve come up with so far:
Talk about what you’ve done
Talk about what you’re doing
Talk about what you want to do
Share early and often
Meet new people
Ask for favors (so hard, but a simple ‘Do you know anyone who X’ can do wonders…or so I’m told, I’d rather eat glass than ask anyone for a favor, ever :)
Finishing what you started
Create your little corner of the universe
That last one is the most important.
A space where you can make something new, work out details, share (or not share) with others, and keep going.
It doesn’t have to be big, it just has to be yours.
“Cabinet by cabinet, I pulled out the contents, assessed, divided, wiped down, replaced. I filled the laundry basket with the things I didn’t want or need and carried those discards to the basement. I made the decision to wait until we’d finished with the entire house before trying to find a place for the things we were getting rid of. This was a lesson I’d picked up from my work: writing must be separate from editing, and if you try to do both at the same time nothing will get done.”
Oh wow, how I loved this piece by Ann Patchett on life, work, and the sort of ultimate spring cleaning.
The Sweet Sound of Dial-Up
Colin, my brother Eric, and I were reminiscing about dial-up internet this weekend. I tried to mimic the sound — gosh, what a memorable sound! — but, of course, YouTube has it in all its glory. Brings me BACK!
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You can also support my work by checking out my new motivational journal, Do It For Yourself, designed to guide you through your creative and work projects.
Thanks, as always, for reading.
Love, Kara