Juggling and the struggling artist

It turns out that you learn to juggle by learning how to throw, consistently, before you learn to catch. 

It's a good metaphor. 

If you can learn to consistently push something out into the world, you'll stand a much better chance of catching anything from it. 

That all the good opportunities come to those who are sought out, from people and places who have consistently heard of you and resonated with your work. 

That all those gigs you wish you had now will inevitably come, if and only you continue to perform and publish, to work your way to amassing as much a body of work as a community of loyal fans. 

That work begets work, and with persistence and endurance, better work. 

A one year commitment isn't enough. Neither is five.

Hitting your funding goal, getting published or picked isn't the point. It can't be. Because no one is going to pick you until you're beyond ready to catch the ball. 

Indeed, the only way to catch anything is to learn how to excessively and masterfully throw.