I was doing a bit of art/business housekeeping this week and came to the realization that this edition marks 7 months of weekly posts. I don’t know if that fact surprises you — but it certainly surprises me.

I jumped into this endeavor by metaphorically closing my eyes and holding my breath. With no real clue where it would lead or how it would pan out, my greatest hope was that having a blog would be worth the time and energy — and that I wouldn’t embarrass myself.

So it has been a lovely surprise to realize just how much I have gleaned from this commitment — most of it totally unexpected. And as with the test swatches I’m using today as illustrations, one can’t really know for sure what will happen with any project until you dive in, holding tight to a sense of faith that there are plenty of good lessons to be learned by giving it a try.

If I had to pick one word that best describes the benefit of following through on this weekly exercise, it would be “focus”. It’s a challenge and a luxury to hone in on a single idea per week, with the intent of sharing it coherently with others.

Initially, I thought the point would be to gain greater exposure for my art. But what I didn’t anticipate is that this blog has also become an avenue to assist me with better defining my work for myself.

A blog has an element of accountability that works two ways: First, I have a responsibility to myself to find something to write about that will leaving me feeling satisfied that I have learned from the exercise, whether or not it’s read by anyone else. In addition, I have a responsibility to you, knowing that your time is precious and it is a privilege that you are sharing it with me by reading what I have to say.

And that brings me to the meat of this week’s post: Thank you.

Thank you for taking the time to check in, some of you faithfully each week. Thank you for sharing your comments, your support, and your knowledge — whether you choose to do so publicly or privately.

And thank you for your part in helping me realize that the leap was well-worth taking.

I’ll see you next week…