Me and my website - a hero's journey (July 15, 2022)

I'm getting this site done! It's a bit muddy, but picking up speed:

The Ordinary World. ... was my comfy, cozy little studio in downtown Los Angeles... when the world came to me, and I had everything I needed.

The Call to Adventure. ... came when the pandemic hit, and it was do or die. Everybody stopped coming to my studio. Our neighborhood was trashed. The small businesses near me closed, and many never opened again. It seemed that to survive I would need to get a website with a shopping cart, or else.

The Refusal of the Call. ... was easy. I walked in circles around the neighborhood for weeks, painted under a tree in the backyard, and filled a few orders via my Instagram, but mostly stopped working on my business because I wasn't really sure I had one anymore. I complained a lot in my journal. And drew pictures of my own body with arrows pointing to all the places where I thought I could be more healthy. And there were arrows pointing to my heart.

Meeting with the Mentor. ... happened when I crept back into my studio, alone, to paint. The building downtown was essentially empty because all of us "non-essential" folks closed. I decided to work alone in my space. And in the lobby is where I bumped into my printer, heading to work alone in his space on another floor. Kismet! From a distance of six feet, and masked, (for those of you who worried about my safety) he explained that their business was growing due to everybody staying home and wanting to make their home nicer by buying prints online. I felt encouraged, and I thought DANG if I can't also figure out how to sell my stuff online. I can! I can!

Crossing the Threshold. ... wasn't graceful. But here I am. My web hosting service expired in 2021 and my website advisor said it was time to migrate it to a new platform. Plus, we agreed that due to the downturn in my sales, I'll update my own site. So here I am. Yay!

Tests, Allies, and Enemies. ... is where I am now in the journey. I'm gutted that my printer has since passed away, but his amazing wife is heroically helping me with my print inventory. I haven't been able to buy the frames (and other stuff) due to being out of stock, or rationed, but it's getting better. I got ripped by someone else I tried to create stuff with. And some ad agency started using the phrase I was putting on my T-shirts. But the good news is: I'm learning how to use Photoshop again, stopped (mostly) feeling sorry for myself, and am now stumbing through this. Today I'm going to post my first print for sale as soon as I figure out how to do it. And my friends, art colleagues, family and customer are super supportive, so I feel loved and understood (mostly).

Approach to the Innermost Cave. ... haha, I'm not sure yet what this means, so I'll let you know when I get there!

The Supreme Ordeal. Hopefully this part, when it happens, won't be too embarrassing to share.