Keep Going

Defining success, one shoe at a time even when you feel like a slug

I, immune from the pressures of having a boss, co-workers of the human variety, and on the really slow and infrequent payday train that comes with publishing, can be called THE captain of my own ship. I’m a veritable art hermit crafting crayons and spinning crazy tales in the woods. I’m a freelance storyteller, tangentially related to a minstrel without the small guitar or proclivity for music, scribbling away my days rather joyfully. It’s good.

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The problem with this existence is that I need to get shit done. Being your own boss comes with its own responsibility to your craft, to what could be, and to what the world needs. By not churning the art and words at a reasonable pace, I’m at risk of not being true to my calling, dreams, and maybe even my purpose as a human.

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Hello! My name is Jacob Souva and I’m an author and illustrator of books for kids. I write here about what I’m learning, my creative practice, and the many bits ancillary to those things. 3/4 of the posts are free and come out every Friday. This was originally published a year and a 1,000 subscribers ago. Woot! You can find more like it in the archives as a paid subscriber. Upgrade your subscription to get everything! I appreciate your subscription.

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Truthfully, the passion and fire for what I do is often enough.¹ But when it’s not, I ask myself this question:

What can I do today that will make it feel like a success?

A small question. Maybe a cop out. But this one question says “it’s ok to not figure out that full manuscript today, what if you researched x instead” or “draw something, anything and it’s all good.” It’s forgiving. It comes with a handy dosage of self-care.

The question allows for grace and time, permission to move slow, if needed… but to move. The age old saying of “one step at a time” is not as quaint or old fashioned or defeatist as it can be portrayed. Stepping forward towards the mountain signals intent, at least. Sometimes that’s all that you can do.

Looking at it holistically

The pressures of working from home include the muddiness of being a Dad, a homeowner, and a partner, while being a creative recluse minstrel hermit storyteller kidlit-er.² These jobs are just as needy and can crowd each other out. So, I’ve begun to kind of see it all as one job?

This way of looking at it takes the pressures and evenly distributes it. I’m not doing that thing for the house or preparing dinner at the expense of my career. It’s all in one bucket.³

If I then circle back and ask “what can I do today that will make it feel like a success?” the answer might look something like:

1. Wrote my newsletter

2. Took my son to the doctors

3. Worked out the character for that book

4. Prepped dinner

5. Kept going

See you next week!

Best,

Jacob

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