If you're an artist, don't you dare give up

You know how sometimes you hear something at the exact right moment, and it makes everything okay?Last year, I saw Lady Gaga's concert at Citi Field. It poured rain that night, which only made it better.  During “A Million Reasons,” Gaga sat at the piano, drenched, wearing a crystal-covered floor-length coat, and paused before the first chorus, looking straight at all of us through the Jumbotron, like a prophet come down from a diamond mountain.

“If you’re an artist, don’t you dare give up.”

I almost sobbed when she said that. I was deep in edits for my first romance novel while simultaneously navigating the tech-y labyrinths of self-publishing. Frankly, I was also freaking out that I had written a book with mermaid sex in it that omg my dad might read. 😱I wondered if I should hide the book. If I shouldn't tell anyone when it was out. If I should try for only a few sales, so I wouldn't have to give it my all.As I watched Gaga give us her messy-drenched-exalted everything, I realized she was right. Who am I to give up? Who am I to not give it my all? If a freaky-deaky sunset purple prose mermaid love machine book is living inside of me, I should let 'er rip. Why hold back, when I had already come this far?So I published the book, and told everyone. My parents asked for a hard copy. My auntie wants one for her "special shelf."  The coffee shop on my block wants to sell them, too. As I plan out the rest of the series, and maneuver through the shifting tides of the romance market, I'm reminding myself constantly to not give up. To give it my everything. I owe just a bit more daring to all the daring I've already done.I encourage you to do the same. Let 'er rip. Give it your everything. Whatever you are making, don't you dare give up.p.s. The book won an award. Good thing i didn't give up ;)