Letter No. 13 [slow growth]

Dear Friend,

Starting a business is harder than I thought it would be. Growing is slower and more painful than I imagined. In truth, I didn’t imagine. I just decided and knew, and I didn’t think about growing pains.

But they are here; they are very presently here. They are here at the end of long days of research about topics I’ve never had to think about, like registering for city licenses and registering my business for taxes. They are here after posting on social media and seeing minimal response. They are here when I work for hours on an email newsletter that only gets sent to fifteen people. They are here when I write these letters, knowing not many people will look at them. For now.

A painting I did this March for a landscape art challenge.

But these growing pains are not unwelcome. They mean I’m growing. I’m changing. They mean I’m pushing past my comfort and limit; they mean I’m struggling to get somewhere instead of staying safe and stagnant, and that makes me hopeful.

I hope if you’re another artist reading this—or anyone venturing out on something that scares you—that you’re encouraged. We have to start, and we have to work and wait because we dream of the best things, and the best things grow slow.

Tara