Artist Guide 01 ......Get Scary!

01 - Commit to Something Scary

A lot has happened in my life over the past few months, but I'm used to being busy so on the surface my day-to-day activities didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary. 

But, I had noticed changes. I'd been spending fewer hours working each day, fewer days each week.

Initially, I attributed the shift in my work schedule to trying to live a more balanced life. But, after some honest analysis, I realized that many of the things on my "to do" list where things that required me to go outside my comfort zone. 

There were phone calls and follow ups that I was putting off. I needed to contact and get in touch with some people I didn't know well, and speak with others who work in areas of the art world I'm less familiar with.

Furthermore, many of the "to dos" I'd been avoiding revolved around making decisions and commitments about events or activities that will take place 6 or 10 months even years from now.

As crazy as it sounds, I found I was avoiding, worrying about, or putting off the things I should be doing because I was afraid, or unsure if I would be up to the task.

What a waste of energy! Fortunately it's a problem with an easy solution - commitment followed by action. 

Are there things in your art practice you could be doing to move your business forward? Well, here's the easy solution, rest assured, if you do nothing, it is guaranteed that nothing will happen and your dreams will simply remain as dreams.

Just do it. Commit to something big, something new or even scary, something you might not be ready for, and get ready and bear in mind the words of Herman Melville, (August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. “It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation”

It doesn't matter what the commitment is but boils down to one thing, to take a step outside of your comfort zone:
  • to approach 3 new galleries over the next month,
  • to book a stand at an art fair or open your studio an extra weekend this year,
  • to start a blog or newsletter,
  • to start  a new series of work, or focus on a new style or technique,
  • to teach a new class, give a talk or write an article
It doesn't matter what you commit to, just that you commit - and take action toward making it happen.
  • Write down your decision and tell others about it.
  • Schedule time in your diary to research galleries, fairs or events, then chose one and apply.
  • Register a Blog and start familiarizing yourself with the format,
  • Layout a newsletter or start writing content,
  • Outline a workshop or topic you are interested in speaking or writing about.
You don't need to know all the details, or even what the end result will look like, just commit and get started.

Everything else will take care of itself.

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