Yesterday, I got one particularly disheartening email. Disclaimer: I'm overly sensitive. And when it comes to my writing, I sometimes take feedback too personally. From anonymous blog comments "You don't like raisins but you like genetically modified ingredients?" (response: yes, as long as they're not genetically modified raisins) to the red-lettered scribbles my college professors occasionally littered my papers with... I get this self-righteous, pompous "I'm and artist" attitude. Yes, maybe I am "an artist" (though doubtful) but they're paying my bills.
Anyways, I digress. I got that email and felt hot tears burning my eyes. Which is especially dumb, because I was at the gym. I had one other email at the time, and decided to read it to try to quickly distract myself from the impending doom that is my life. It was a blog comment, from my mom,* that simply said, "Lovely..." One word, simple but remarkably reassuring. I don't know what it is about that woman, but she always knows how to put me in my place. At 15 "putting me in my place" was something quite different, but that's another blog post entirely.
So here's the thing, the lesson I learned in all this, just do your best. Your absolute best. If I continually put out the best product I can, work that I'm proud of, content I find compelling... then I won't be disappointed. There's a Dita Von Teese quote I've been seeing around lately, and it rings true. Not that I always take advice from burlesque dancers, but this time it works...
[Dwell in possibility.]
*aka my most faithful follower. If that doesn't make me a complete loser I don't know what does.
