Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Loser?


Here's what I know for sure today:

As of last night when I had a little while to tally votes in the American Made Contest, Design Category
I was eighth. EIGHTH.
Out of some over 300 entries.

Here's the good news: holy shit I am surrounded by the best friends, readers and supporters a woman could ever ask for. This alone has given me so much joy it feels like a second sun.

Eighth was impossible a few weeks ago. Eighth didn't know my people!!!!!!

If 8th is what I am destined to be then so be it, but dammit I can smell 6th from here. 6th means placing and getting a lot of exposure.

Here's the rub: I need a shot in the arm, like several thousand votes in a matter of 24 hours five times over for the last five days. Right now I am averaging 700 votes a day which means there is a lot of love out there.

I believe this can be done.

Before this contest I was more than okay with staying small, low to the ground. Being seen is scarier. Word of mouth was great, me being mouthy was not happening. 
In the past three weeks I've been SO mouthy, I've been requesting support and I've been campaigning for something beyond just this contest:
I've been breaking out of my box
and it feels good.
 powerful.
grounded and high, like climbing a big old oak.

The first few days were hard, I found myself feeling uncomfortable drumming up support.
In this safe community space we have shared joys and sorrows alike with equal measure and of all the places to be nervous this isn't it.

As the support grew so did my courage. I've begun to see that the fear of exposure does not belong here in the picture of Sunny Rising. Something is burning off the surface of the relationship I've had to designing and offering. I am lighter for it, happier without it.

If that ends up being the gift of the contest for me then I would be grateful beyond words
but I also want to go down kicking.


Six times a day from any and all email addresses you want to use
for the next five days.

xoxoxo,
Sunny