Putting an artwork where everyone can see it does not mean it will be seen. Creating, completing, publishing… At some point, the path an artist can travel through their own efforts becomes a place where they wait for the attention of others. The work is there, along with the time, thought, and effort behind it. But the distance between existing and being noticed cannot be closed simply by working harder. For many artists, “listed” becomes less a stage they move past and more the name of a prolonged wait. New works are added, days pass, and the work is shared once more. Being seen, being chosen, finding a place in a collection always seem like the next step. The order of these steps is clear; how to bridge the distance between them is not. “Almost there.” With the next piece, the next post, perhaps this time. This sentence holds both the hope that keeps one creating and the exhaustion of waiting in the same place. An artist may have spent years on that step, which looks from the outside like the beginning of the journey. Digital drawing created in Procreate.