Three Life Plot Twists and Finding My Lemonade

Sharing three hard things.

1. I was rejected from a juried art show in Northern California (put on the wait list) a few days ago.
2. My amazing and expert Substack coach told me that I needed to “pivot” and reboot my current Substack plan and strategy (tons of rewriting). She was 100% right, of course.
3. Drinking even one glass of wine these days is causing my insomnia.

”Ouchy” — art‑show rejection

I had this on my calendar already for the fall and even had a friend scheduled to join me. I had gotten into a few shows recently and was overly confident about getting in.

Lemonade lesson: I did not submit professional photos, nor did I carefully create a compelling collection. Submitting to art shows takes so much time, and the automated system I used for the first time lured me into thinking I could upload things quickly and not overly craft the submission. I will not repeat these mistakes again.

”Yikes” — complete reboot of my Substack

After having a superb but painfully honest feedback session with my Substack coach, I had to start over.

Lemonade lesson: I felt excited and relieved three hours into the rewrites, and realized I was going to ultimately have more fun and longevity with my new Substack focus, “Eclectic Artist.” Even though there is so much new work ahead of me, I know I am investing in a future that will interest me long term.

”Single tear down the cheek” — wine vs. sleep

I had already downshifted my wine drinking to one or two drinks a week, but after each single glass of wine I had big sleep troubles, including being stuck awake for four hours last night.

Lemonade lesson: Wine vs. sleep — sleep wins. But ohh, this smarts.

How about you? Any rough patches to share, fellow creatives? Any lemonade recipes?