A letter from Sep 22, 2024

Dear FutureMe, (with added background info for other readers) I was prompted to write this by a course I'm doing about selling my art! I've been encouraged to write some crazy stuff like "by this time next year I will have earned £100k from selling my art". Currently I have very little confidence or self belief so I wonder if I managed to get some from somewhere over those 12 months. Apparently the more you say these things the easier they are to believe. I prefer the approach of pretending you're selling someone else's art! I've decided that statistically it's quite unlikely that on this planet of just over 8 billion people there won't be anyone who absolutely adores what I create. I just need to find them, and hope they are rich haha. I'm aiming to spend a lot of energy on this 9 week course, getting the most pep talk effect from it and revisiting bits when I need to. Working consistently at the painting and whatever else grabs me. Talking to anyone who is remotely interested. Listening to any feedback from potential buyers such as "we'd absolutely love it if this was 2 x 2 metres" and accommodating them if it doesn't put me off course. Why is it so hard to believe that it could be possible to earn a good living and do what brings me joy? I guess capitalism is the answer to that. I've just been to see a workspace, been offered it and awaiting an email with the paperwork. It's due to be mine from the beginning of October (9 days including the rest of today - yes I am counting!). This is very exciting and timely as moving in with W looks like it might actually happen before christmas, but the place is too small for me to have a workspace there. I'll be moving as much out of my current workroom (living room in a normal person's flat) into the workspace as possible so I can see what's left and try and let go of some things. I wonder if I ended up making the 1 x 1 metre canvases I was dreaming about. I can almost visualise them in my mind right now! How is the running going? How was the 50k in March? Did our knees ever stop hurting? Have we lost the belly and finally got some muscles?! What about signing up to run 100k, 100 miles? Also, have I stopped blimmin' biting my nails yet?!?!?!?!?! From daily self harm in our 20s to training for an ultra marathon at 49, we deserve a bit of happiness and joy. It's one step forward, one sideways, wriggling backwards a bit at the moment. If I/you/we're not living in utter joy when this arrives I hope it's on the way - or at the very least there's a dishwasher at home so less time is spent on the dreaded washing up! xxx