The wait
(Note: This post was originally written on June 10.)
I believe ‘twas the great Southern philosopher Tom Petty who said, “The waiting is the hardest part.” I hear ya, Tom, I hear ya.
I thought of this when a friend asked me a couple days ago if I’d posted anything on this blog recently. I admitted that I hadn’t. I was waiting, I said, waiting for something big to happen. But nothing big has happened, so I’ve decided to write about a lot of little things that have been happening. They’ll surely add up to something big, right?
These tiny actions have been happening with my side hustles—art and gardening—which are two things I’m hoping will produce more income for me soon. (My primary source of income is as a freelance writer and editor*, which is seeming a little precarious these days.)
In the art realm, I’ve been sending emails to or stopping by businesses seeing if they’ll sell my prints, cards, and/or stickers. I’ve also applied to vend at events this fall. I’ve reached out to about 20 places so far and have had a couple rejections and one wholesale order (the garden shop at Horsford Gardens and Nursery in Charlotte!), but it’s mostly been crickets. I plan to take time off from my day job soon and drive around Vermont with cards, prints, and stickers in tow so I can promote my work in person. This for sure will take this shy gal out of her comfort zone, so please wish her luck.
In other art-related news, I’m working on my 2027 bird calendar. If you happened to miss my 2026 bird calendar, be assured it was pretty epic. People loved it and I’m very proud of it. So far for the 2027 calendar, I’ve painted a cedar waxwing, a yellow warbler, a mourning dove, and a red-winged blackbird. I’ve also sketched out a blue jay, a killdeer, and blue-headed vireo.
Bird paintings for my 2027 bird calendar
In the gardening world, most of my gardens are planted and I’ve been checking my two flower plots almost daily to make sure my plants are faring as well as possible. I planted 50 dahlias in one garden and 47 of them have come up as of this evening. Some varieties are just poking through the soil while others are already six inches tall.
I’m keeping a close eye on the zinnias, cosmos, strawflowers, celosia, and marigolds in my other garden. Because I grow so many flowers, I direct sow the seeds rather than buying starts because it’s much more affordable. But it’s also a lot more work to make sure the seeds don’t dry out and that my plant babies are protected from damage and don’t have to compete with weeds for resources. I’ve been breathing a little easier, however, in the past couple days as some flowers have grown past the two-inch-tall mark. This feels like a safe zone for them to be in, as they are more capable of withstanding minor damage at this height. At least I hope so.
Some zinnias in my garden at the beginning of June
I still have to wait for my flowers to produce bouquet-worthy blooms and for my art efforts to pay off, but I’m confident that all these little things I’m doing—watering, weeding, sending emails, signing up for art events—will pay off in the end. I just have to wait. And believe. And keep dreaming.
(*Yes, I am an editor, but it’s really hard for me to both write and edit my own work, so please cut me some slack when typos show up in this blog. I do my best.)
(Also, I would be remiss if I did not share this song with you. I’ve been listening to it on repeat. It’s by one of my fave bands, Built To Spill. It’s called The Wait. Check it out.)