What a Wonderful Web I Weave

I used to think of pursuing my goals in a linear way. Start with the idea of what you want to create and then take steps to turn that idea into a reality. A visual for this type of journey would look like a timeline. Begin with a single point and from there move in a single direction.

However, recently, I’ve seen how a linear perspective doesn’t really capture how life works. It’s more like a web. (As a life-long arachnophobe, I don’t make this analogy lightly.)

Picture a web and imagine yourself at the center of it (Breathe Becky… you aren’t really at the center of a spider web). Instead of moving along a single line, you would choose a direction to go from the center and explore multiple options from that spot.

This idea dispels the myth that there is only “one way” to go after a dream. That false narrative keeps many people from even trying to pursue something because they are paralyzed by the need to know what is the “right step.”

When pursuing your goal there is no single “right step,” it’s more about starting to move in a direction.

When you think in terms of a web and move in a direction as opposed to a linear path, sometimes you will see multiple actions to take. Other times you may only see a single action to take. The point is not to overwhelm yourself, but to get comfortable with the idea that it isn’t a single path.

When I am open to my progress not being a single path, I find myself being less precious about what I’m doing. Which is HUGE for a recovering perfectionist.

Plus, thinking about moving in a direction rather than a single path helps with the amount of time progress can take. For example, there are some places where I see progress happening within days of taking a step, while other steps are taking months or even years before I see any progress.

If I was thinking of this as a linear path, I could get stuck waiting for something to happen. As it is now, I try something and while I’m waiting to see if that idea gets the result I’m wanting, I move forward with another idea related to the same goal.

None of it is simple or prescriptive, but I do think that keeping a multi-path web approach could be the difference between feeling discouraged and doing nothing, versus taking a step toward what you really want.

When it comes to your goals and dreams, take a step, no matter how small.

It is in that spirit, I share a new path we are exploring; putting products on Amazon. I have known about the possibility of using the Amazon platform as a marketplace for a while, but I’ve been resistant to trying it.

Part of it has been because I didn’t want to undermine my own shop and part of it has been because there are more limitations and less control when putting products on a platform you don’t own. Obviously, the upside is the potential to get more exposure and traffic looking at your product.

With my most recent product of Dog Person and Cat Person I found a solution that addressed my concerns but would allow us to explore using the Amazon platform.

On my shop I have full color graphics that can be purchased in mug or shirt form. Feel free to check them out for anyone wanting to declare allegiance to their fur baby.

However, I took that original graphic and created a 1-color (black) version for shirts that are being sold on Amazon. Here it is in all it’s online, e-commerce glory.

Another minor distinction is the Amazon shirts don’t have my “rg” logo. I’m sure there are people who could care less about that, but it was an important distinction to me that only products in my shop have that branding. 

One limitation on Amazon is that I can only choose 5 colors. I think that if a store starts to do really good business they allow for more options, but at this point it’s limited. However, I am making use of exploring different types of shirts, as shown with this baseball tee option.

There is much to learn about how to maximize being on this platform and I have no idea if this is going to do much of anything or not. But in looking at my goal of doing illustrative lettering projects I need to increase my exposure and get my work in front of more people, so this seemed like an option worth exploring.

I’m hopping a plane tomorrow morning to go to my audition with Audible! It’s going to be a bit of a whirlwind cuz I’m on a 6:00am flight to the Garden State (a.k.a. New Jersey), my audition is at 3:00pm, then I fly back home at 10:00pm. #TravelWhiplash

Overall, I’m excited (with just a touch of nerves) which should help keep me alert and ready. This opportunity is a direct result of my 1-minute video idea, which was affirmed when I was recently chatting with a fellow narrator who has worked quite a bit with Audible. When I mentioned who invited me to audition she said, “He NEVER replies to emails of people he doesn’t know.” Clearly that idea, which only cost me time, is reaping huge benefits. Here’s that original video if you haven’t seen it.

My plan is to document this brief trip on Facebook stories because it does appear more of my audience hangs out there. #SorryInstagram If you aren’t already connected with me there, feel free follow along.

In scouting out the city around Audible’s office it does look like there are a few things I can see, so to avoid looking like a creepy stalker sitting in their lobby for 5 hours before my audition, I may check out parts of the city.

Thanks for all of the encouragement and well-wishes people have been sending as I’m doing my final prep. You guys are kind bunch and I can’t wait to tell you how it goes.

In other audiobook news, I do still have free copies of my latest audiobook to share with anyone who commits to leaving a review on Audible.com afterwards. Reply here to get that promo code.