Years ago I was a regular street vendor. It was how I supported myself and my young son at the time. So many doors opened because I met so many people. For example, I met a woman who worked as a teaching artist and her company was looking for employees. We became friendly, and she recommended me. I auditioned, yes it was an audition, and got the position. Fast forward, I stayed there for 5 years.

Vending was and is hard work, but I can honestly say that the good certainly outweighs the bad. I really like it. It was hard feeling isolated during the lockdowns. While I’m not a social butterfly per say, I did miss sweet, lively conversations to be had with others brought together because of a shared interest, plus being online so much was resulting in digital fatigue. And before the pandemic, I was seriously thinking of going back to vending, and to teaching. But it was during the pandemic that I began to make hand bound journals. I’d already had a love for journaling, so thought why not make my own. And while I’m at it, combine the things that I love in one place: paper, fabric, and writing.

So this weekend, I got back into the saddle. I decided to vend at the largest farmers market in Brooklyn, at Grand Army Plaza. It was GREAT! Being around people again, let face it, people watching is an amazing pastime, felt truly exciting and uplifting, I felt alive. Talking to folks, looking at their very cute pooches, and getting feedback for my work made for a really beautiful day. And if the day couldn’t get better, my terrific partner drove me there and kept me company the whole day. I’m truly blessed.

There’s a reason I so admire the quote from Arthur Ashe: “Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can.” For awhile, I just couldn’t seem to get out of my own way, taking just that first step seemed so insurmountable, but of course, it was just in my head. I dedicated a page of my zine to that quote, it’s just that important to me. So, I took that chance, starting where I was, using what I had, and with that, doing what I could. To expect more from ourselves is to set unrealistic goals, and a setup for failure. When we follow the advice of that quote, we keep the faith, most importantly, the faith in ourselves. When I was in my own way, I’d lost faith in myself, and one has to wonder that if you’ve lost faith in YOURSELF, how can you expect others have it for you?

Until next time,

Jos