Some Exciting News...Revisited.

Remember when I shared with you about my audition to become a house tour contributor for Apartment Therapy? I think I mentioned how shocked and thrilled I was that I made it into the second round and got to see my work posted on the website. 

Well, readers' comments weren't something I'd considered when I was working on my audition. In fact, I had completely forgotten how much people comment on what they see and read online, and at the time, I was unaware of just how large AT's audience is. So, I was in for another shock--all the negative comments! 

There were a lot of good and bad things said about my work--probably about 50/50 in the end. And, I'll admit it really threw me for a loop for a few days. I was disappointed that so much attention was taken away from the beautiful home I wanted to show, in part, because I didn't edit and proofread well enough. Now, I know not everyone will like my style--that's ok. But, I will freely admit that there's just no excuse for poor proofreading. It's something I am taking pains to get better at. I am usually a stickler about it and catch all kinds of mistakes in books and other things I read all the time. What I've found though, is that it's SO much harder to catch my own mistakes, especially if it's an article, post, or whatever that I've been working on for awhile. Is anyone ever really objective with their own work?

Through this whole experience, I've learned a couple very good lessons. One is that anytime you put yourself "out there" online (or anywhere for that matter), you are going to get feedback. Opinions, criticism, praise, whatever--people are going to tell you what they really think and feel. Anonymous user names make people feel liberated to share their opinion without consequence. The problem is that there is absolutely no accountability. I think often people forget that there is a real person on the other end who is affected. 

The second lesson though, is don't let that stop you! After giving myself a few days to wallow in self-pity (I know. It's never fun or pretty) and wish it had turned out differently, I began to realize just how good this experience was for me. Fear is something that stops a lot of people from ever even trying to do something they dream of or aspire to be. Fear of failure, fear of what others will think or say, fear that even their best just won't be good enough. We all have our reasons for choosing not to try. 

So some people pointed out typos I should have caught the first time around, some in really snarky ways, some just didn't like my writing. So what? In the end, I had a lot of fun putting it together, I gave my best, and I was still alive. I know, sounds dramatic right?! But sometimes you have to ask yourself: what's the worst thing that can happen to me or come out of this? My dad once got fired from a job. It came as complete shock and surprise. He'd given his best--and for whatever reason, it just wasn't good enough. I remember talking with him about it months later. He said that after living through one of his worst fears, he realized he was ok. He was still alive, still surrounded by the ones he most cared for. Life was still moving forward and so was he. That really made an impression on me. 

Turns out, I was also ok. The whole AP thing was a great learning experience. It left me with a thicker skin and a real desire to improve my skills. It was fun and exciting and really humbling all at the same time. 

And then I found out a few weeks ago that Apartment Therapy wanted to hire me after all! The editor referred to my audition experience as a "trial by fire". I made it through, and am a little more tempered now knowing how people can respond. But you know what, I'm still just as excited to get started! 

So thanks for all your support and encouragement. 

And if you're a local with a big or small, unusual, interesting, or well cared for home or apartment or if you know of someone who has a place that inspires you--let me know and please pass the word on! I really like Apartment Therapy's mission of making wherever you're at a place you like to be, which is one of the many reasons why I'm looking forward to doing this. Now I just need some homes to photograph!