i'm over the moon!

Last month patternpeople.com held an open call for submissions of pattern work for their upcoming e-book, Repeat After Me.  There's no money involved but just free publicity if your work is selected and it would be something really cool to put on my resume.  Honestly, I emailed my work, hit 'Send' and had pity on myself for even trying.  I don't know why I get so down on myself.  I mean it's just not healthy thinking, you know?  It doesn't hurt to try.  

Cut to today.  I hear a beep from my Blackberry saying I've received an email.  I have this thing where I can't leave an email or message unchecked.  Even if it's spam and I'm just going to delete it.  Just knowing that my phone is blinking a red light with an unopened message bugs me to no end.  What can I say,  I have issues.  So I immediately went to my phone to delete the spam email that I knew would be there.  However, instead I received the following email (truncated due to size):

I found myself shouting the email aloud as I was running upstairs to meet Mark in our office (he was confused as to what was going on).  Cut to us jumping like little school girls (ok, I was the one jumping) and shouting (we were both shouting).  I realize that perhaps only one of my designs was selected and I'm not getting paid for my work to be published BUT my work is being published!!  I really needed this boost of encouragement, you know?  Sometimes you wonder if you're any good.  If maybe you should just quit.  Maybe you're the only one who thinks your stuff is worthwhile.  So it's nice to get a thumbs up from a third party.  Someone who is un attached to you personally.  It's a nice feeling.

I google chatted my friend, Tony, from art school about the good news.  We were commiserating with each other about how we feel unsure about our abilities sometimes.  And Tony shared this AMAZING quote with me by Ira Glass, superhero host of This American Life (if you don't know what this is you should hang your head in shame.  Subscribe to the free podcast on iTunes):