Hello Art Lovers,
Since I spend a good amount of my time writing my thoughts out into the universe for Instagram, why not dig deeper and open up the possibilities to connect with collectors, art lovers, and artists?! With that, let's try something new.
I did a little cleaning up on my website recently. I am learning the true nature of running a creative business and that every last effort I put into my work is progress. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with all I have to do to get my work made, documented, marketed, sold, delivered and countless other details in between. It is a lot of work to do it all, and of course, this will be impossible to keep up for the long run, someday I will need help. Or at least that is my hope. More time to paint, less time running the back end. Paintings like this one below are where I really wish to spend my time.
Recently I decided to start calling all the actions taken in my creative business progress. I have a tendency to demand perfection...but the funny thing is, I have no idea what perfect looks like and sometimes the fear of not doing it perfectly stops me dead in my tracks. So I end up feeling incapable, under qualified and like a failure. Whoa. THAT is intense.
One of the major lies I tell myself is when I don't create I am failing as an artist. I mean, do you hear this? This is crazy intense stuff, and so terribly black and white. To add some gray area to these fearful thoughts I draw on my recent challenge, progress is made anytime I put action into my business. If I show up open to the possibilities, then I am moving forward. To combat the toxic views I have on what being an artist means, I am choosing to make steps small enough to be doable and big enough to be meaningful.
Now I want to express some positives. Not all days are spent wallowing in my pit of self-doubt. Some days I actually get real with myself and rediscover how much I love everything about running a creative business. I feel capable, smart, and it makes me glow knowing my son gets a front-row seat to what it means to follow your dreams.
It took me a good 15 years until I came to the realization that I am fully capable of being creative and making a business out of it. What a relief this has been. All the ups and downs are what make this the journey worth taking. Ultimately, I hope to have work to wake up to every day, joy in my heart while I do it and the smarts to know I need to step out of my own way.
So whether it is a minute by minute choice, or I get a full day at a time, I will call this progress. I choose to step aside and let my intuition work her magic.
Where are you getting in your own way? Can you relate? I would love to hear your tricks on how you work with your weaknesses to bring beauty into your world.
Here's to moving forward,
