Momentum Takes Time

Last fall—fall of 2025—I launched my Ancient Wisdom Oracle deck.

Before that, I had been working on the project for a couple of years. I created all 80 pieces of art, wrote the messages, designed the cards, and carefully brought the entire deck to life. It was a true labor of love.

Now, here I am entering the fall of 2026, and I’m happy to say that I have sold about half of my first printing!

My cards are now available in six different retailers around Lake Tahoe. They are also sold through my online store, and I take them with me to makers markets and other events.

And lately, I’ve noticed something exciting:

The momentum is starting.

It didn’t happen right away. My cards reached the stores during a slower season, so I had to practice patience. And honestly, it was scary. I worried that perhaps nobody would be interested in my art or the product I had created. When you put so much of yourself into something, it can feel very vulnerable to send it out into the world and wait.

But then spring and summer arrived, and the cards began to sell.

It wasn’t a flood. It was more like a slow, steady trickle—and I’m okay with that.

The product I’m offering is unique. It isn’t going to appeal to everyone, and it doesn’t need to. The right people are finding it. A slow, constant trickle is still movement. It is still progress. It is still momentum.

What I’ve noticed most recently is that familiarity with the cards is beginning to take hold.

People walk by my booth at a makers market and stop to say things like:

“Oh, I just saw these at Tahoe Trunk Show!”

“I was considering getting these when I saw them in Tahoe City.”

“My friend has this deck!”

“I love these cards!”

“Oh, I saw these at the Potlatch!”

So cool!

The awareness is growing. The art is taking hold. The cards are becoming familiar to locals and desirable to visitors. Little by little, they are making their way into the community and out into the world.

But it has all happened somewhat slowly—and that’s okay.

Momentum needs time.

Momentum needs to be built.

I think we sometimes expect that when we launch something new, people will immediately notice it, understand it, and want it. But most things don’t happen that way. People need time to see something, become familiar with it, hear about it from someone else, and then see it again.

Patience is such an important part of the process.

Flow can come in many different ways. Sometimes it arrives quickly, and sometimes it comes as a slow and steady stream. I welcome it either way. My hope is simply that it continues.

That is my goal: continual movement.

So, if something you care about is growing more slowly than you hoped, don’t let that discourage you. Building momentum is a little like building a snowman.

You begin with one handful of snow and pack it tightly. Then you add another handful and pack that one tightly, too. You keep adding, packing, rolling, and shaping. Eventually, you look down and realize that the little handful you started with has grown into something much bigger.

It doesn’t happen overnight.

I am so thankful for everything I have learned—and for all the growing I have done—throughout this process. I hope these words encourage you along your own path.

When you need a little reminder that meaningful things don’t always happen right away, remember:

Keep adding another handful.

Keep shaping.

Keep believing.

Momentum takes time—and good things really do come to those who wait.