Every second Wednesday of the month, indie writers band together to post a little inspiration for the journey.
Recently in my small hometown a group of local artists have put together an “artisan market”. It’s run very much like the farmers markets that you’ll see all over Ohio. The market is held every Saturday where artists come in and set up their beloved works for sale. I love their effort. God bless’em for making a positive impact on our community.
And I wanted to be a part of it. With no bookstore in the town (unless you count Walmart) I’ve struggled to get paperback copies to local fans who aren’t Amazon-inclined. So, I wondered if this was the answer. But they would never consider me an artisan, would they?
It’s not like I’m drawing covers and binding books in my guest room. I don’t “make” the end product. Painters are artists. Sculptors are artists. Jewelry designers, graphic artists, scentmakers, musicians…I could rationalize them all, but I still wasn’t sure if they’d consider me a part of their community of “local artisans”. Okay, yeah, I know I shouldn’t think these things, but yet it was there. A little devil on my shoulder whispering doubt.
So, if you are new (or old) to the craft of indie writing and are having the same type of doubts, I’m here to tell you
YOU ARE AN ARTIST.
Truth is, I didn’t have to ask them. They came to me. I was so worried that they would think I was silly or just plain obnoxious for assuming to be an artist. I didn’t even realize that they were nervous to ask me to embrace their new, yet to be proven venture. Guess the lesson is that we all have insecurities, but when we band together we can move past them to make something wonderful.