What's the other guy doing?

They say "to thine own self be true" and I think it's time for me to really follow my heart.

I am so consumed with what is trendy or hot, that I spend a little too much time surfing the net, checking out the competition, researching color schemes and styles and fretting over things that don't sell, that I am missing opportunities to create.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about. I read an article about a woman who quit her day job because she was making a nice living selling her craft on etsy. She gets up in the morning, checks her email to see how many things sold during the night, fills the orders, then produces more inventory. Sounds like a dream! When I saw what she made, I felt disheartened, because what she creates isn't too much different than what I make. I certainly don't get up everyday to see all the orders I received during the night. I may get three or four a week. At this point, it's not enough. I need daily orders!

So what's the difference between her and I? I really believe she just follows her heart and creates her art. She's found her niche and is happily creating. I doubt if she worries about the competition or what's hot or not. She just creates. She creates everyday and it sells everyday.Sometimes when I read a success story, I think to myself..."they aren't worried about you, Debbie. They are doing their art." They aren't surfing the web looking for ideas, or biting their nails over the competition. Their heart isn't racing because someone else has a website full of similar creations. They just are doing it.

"It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation." Herman Melville

So I've made a challenge to myself for tomorrow. I'm going to turn on the computer for one hour in the morning to check my emails and finish my homework. Then I'm going to turn it off for the rest of the day. I'm not going to worry about etsy, or Ebay or Paypal. I'm not going to do searches on Halloween or Christmas. There will be no surfing for color trends and hot ideas.

I'm just going to create. I don't need any more ideas swirling around in my head. I have thousands up there already. My brain is so crowded with ideas that most of them get so lost I'll never find them again. If all goes well, I'll make it a habit to keep my on-line visits for bill paying, emailing, and selling. Oh, and of course, blogging!