Seeds Fall during the Harvest



It stays so completely gray, here in Tennessee. The gray days last from early December until late February and this is usually when the painting starts. Laying down some paint to me is like the sun rising. So much learning, so much to understand. So much to walk away from. So much to walk right up to. I don't know if you can feel it, but I sure can. There is something in the air and it is contagious. It's like we just had enough already. My e-mail inbox is completely overflowing, with offers of every kind with price ranges of every value. And I simply must tell you folks of what it is I have learned. I have learned that it's not about Facebook, Twitter, or Foamspring. It's not about a single one of these. But what it is about is THE LIST. Your list of possible prospects is what you should be growing, day in and day out. I realized the importance of the list as I tried to recruit folks to volunteer for The Bond & Respond Quilt Project, the only way I got anyone to say yes, was if I just walked right up to em and ask em. I did this through our class e-mail list. Notice, I said nothing here about reading their every blog post or chatting it up with em on twitter. I just used the list and asked the question. Many said, they had little time. Many, didn't even bother to reply. Then some simply said yes.  
I started East Wind Productions in 2004, we had about forty clients and a delayed move, a broken ankle, and the death of my Dad postponed this grand reopening to never.
I started this little blog spot of mine, more than two years ago. I wrote one post and quit. Then, like so many of us bloggers, one day I just started blogging out of sheer necessity, about this same time last year. I blogged and no one listen, I blogged and no one cared. I blogged and I blogged. Then, before I knew it, it was the New Year and the New Year brought new things with it like Christmas does. I stumbled upon the Altitude Design Summit one day while surfing the net and suddenly my life had new meaning. The ALT badge was the first badge I placed on my blog and boy did I want to GO. Not able to go (of course), after the conference was over, I stalked their site for reviews and that's when I found her. Yes her ... The famous Victoria Smith and she and some of her design buddies were hosting this new thing called Blog it Forward. I remember the day and the date. It was February 1, 2010 and her blog stated, that they had simply been overwhelmed with requests and they could no longer accept any more.  The blogging was due to start on February 10, my birthday. I was completely devastated, but not for long, cause you see ... I just love my birthday as if it were a national holiday. Forget George and Abe Lincoln and the BIG V day, cause it's my birthday and I give myself permission to focus on me for the entire month. All of this gave me the courage to e-mail Victoria and ask her for the only thing, I really wanted for my forty-seventh birthday; a spot in Blog It Forward 2010. Victoria said yes and I was in! So, I spent the next thirty days or so completely immersed in the blogs of the three hundred participants. Our challenge was to show and share What Inspires US. My day was March 10, it was my turn, I was up at bat. To my surprise, I met the DEADLINE.  For many, many years I worked in the creative departments of daily news papers and it was most important to me and my superiors to meet daily deadlines. But, as you may well know meeting deadlines is next to impossible. Working under such intense pressure, almost did me in, but by the grace of GOD I survived. After returning to work from an extended illness, I learned the ole newspaper boys, not only wanted an error proof newspaper every-night and day, but they also wanted a blog post every fifth-teen minutes.  
   The last Blog it Forward post was in late March and there I sat, still digging, still blogging, still wanting to get in. So, one day by chance, I looked at the Google numbers and the math, just started to click. I shared the numbers, with friends and family, anyone who would listen, some did, but most did not.
   I later signed up for Kelly's e-class on creative businesses and that brings us to the right now. This very moment. Kelly stated over and over again, how blogging was the open door to her successful creative business. I purchased Kelly's e-book, the very last day it was available to the students. I loaded the e-book on my jump drive and on my computer drive and I printed out the pages on blogging and only blogging and since I was focused on blogging, I thought what better than a blogging e-course. Blogging Your Way has challenged me to look deeper at me and it's not been without some pain and panic. I've also come to realize more and more, each day, that I don't have to do everything I want to all the time. I've come to realized I can do some of the things I love to do some of the time. Which means if I'm more creative with the paint brush during the gray days of winter, then maybe that's just when I should paint. With the thought of compartmentalising my passions through-out the year in order to fulfill my lifelong dreams, I came up with a little plan of sorts and you can find it HERE. It is my dearest hope and prayer, that you will start your garden in the season of the harvest.

Comments

  1. Wonderful post Sonya. I ca relate to you in many ways. I am really happy to Ride with you!!

    May God Bless you Abundantly!!

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  2. sonya!!! wonderful post- great to see where you are on your journey. Love the seed pod, and know that, I too, am with you in the "garden" this season! love back to you!

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  3. Sonya, I've just popped over from BYW and found your blog and this beautiful post.
    Your words are truly inspirational. x

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  4. Dearest sonya, such a beautiful and inspiring post! I could also relate to almost everything here! So happy that things are really looking up for you! Have a lovely merry happy weekend and love to yoU!

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  5. I really enjoyed this post and looked up your March 10 inspiration post for Blog It Forward. Quotes are one of my favorite things, too. Thanks for sharing.

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