“At some level, this might not work is at the heart of all important projects, of everything new and worth doing. And it can paralyze us into inaction, into watering down our art and into failing to ship.”
Seth Godin, from his post Out on a Limb
Since my family and I first started talking about working together to host a gathering of people this fall, the first thing that popped in my head was that this might not work.
We wanted to host an intentional time of story-telling, music, and conversation; a time to poke-awake the art inside you that may be hidden under layers of doubt, discouragement and distraction; a time to connect on a more personal level with one another in a way a larger venue wouldn’t allow.
When we picked a date and began to give details and times to what had formerly only been thoughts and ideas, it came up again – this might not work.
But you get to a point where having the thing work is less important to you than giving it a try. For me, not trying it at all was a worse fate than trying it and having it not work.
If you could follow that.
When people start things, they don’t do it because they are necessarily ready. They don’t do it because they have all the answers to every question or because they have some guarantee of success from an invisible authority.
People who do stuff haven’t figured out the secret to doing stuff. They have simply decided to stop letting the fear of this might not work control their lives.
“This might not work is either a curse, something that you labor under, or it’s a blessing, a chance to fly and do work you never thought possible.” – Seth Godin
After years of praying, months of planning, and lots of help, tomorrow we will host our very first gathering At the Barn.
It’s true, it might not work – it might not go as planned, it might not be what I hope it will be, it might not turn out exactly like I want it to.
But we’re doing it anyway. I’ve never been more excited about an event.
December 1 Book Signing
After an extremely busy fall, At the Barn is my last official event of 2013. But I’m pleased to announce I will be doing an informal book signing on Sunday December 1, joining a group of local artisans at their annual Handmade at Home gathering. It’s a great way to support local artists and find unique gifts for friends and family. We would love to have you join us!
- Sunday December 1
- 2011 Medhurst Drive Greensboro, NC 27410
- Drop in 4 – 7 pm (the event starts at 1 pm, but I won’t be there until 4)
Check out the Facebook event page and join if you can come!
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