When I first started selling my book on Writing the Artist Statement the shopping cart installed on my website malfunctioned.

Now, mind you, I didn’t know this at the time. I just thought no one was buying my book. Since I’m always into the next project on my inner to-do list, I pretty much let it go at that.

Far be it from me to force anyone to buy my book! [Which, in those early days, meant I equated selling used cars to book selling, and wasn’t about to get my hands “dirty.”]

Then something unremarkable happened…

There were 36 hours this week when my normally plucky self completely derailed. You know, the equivalent of a dozen bad hair days slamming into you all at once.

Thank goodness, when that happens, I have a coach. A smart and compassionate one who doesn’t let me get away with much.

Her first question, when I confessed I’d woken up feeling like a failure, was: When did that start?

Well, of course, the part of me that preferred wallowing to working drew a blank.

I woke up that way, so hey, did it start in my sleep? (heading down dark paths of the psyche brings out my cheeky side)

What followed was a volley of questions (hers) and non-answers (mine). My coach is remarkably patient, or tenacious, depending on how “oh,-I’m-not-feeling-resistant” resistant I’m being.

I still don’t remember the exact moment I gave myself permission to…

I know, this is not the first time I’ve disappeared from my blog.

Thank goodness for all my smARTist Telesummit Alumni whose art is a balm for bad habits. (I’m waving to every single one of you!!!)

In the past, I’ve fallen off the blog wagon because, honestly, I wasn’t inspired.

And I’d beat myself with the wet noodle of: be disciplined, grl! You don’t need to date the muse every time you write a blog post.

I would scoot over to Alyson Stanfield’s blog or Joan Stewart’s and think: why the heck (well, maybe “heck” is more PG13 than I’m fesin’ up to) can’t I do that?

Be consistent.

Be concise.

Be clear.

Have a specific action for you to take/follow.

Then I’d go right back…

I was surprised last week by how lackluster everyone felt toward Art.sy. (I’d say “shhhh….” only I don’t think anyone’s listening ;-) And really, really excited by the depth of all of your comments.

Finding truly innovative ways to show and sell art, even with the explosion of online possibilities, seems as if the Holy Grail of the art world is never fully coming into view—a sense that something, as yet unimaginable, is forming beyond the mist.

Could Suzanna Gratz be about to change all that?