|
December 31, 2007
Each week I
write to give you ideas for what you can do to share your art with
the world. That makes about 52 ideas per year and doesn’t even count
all of the blog postings. I realize how overwhelming it is. And I
recognize that you are getting contradictory messages as well as
solid advice from other people. Where do you begin? How do you even
start? It’s enough to make an artist want to retreat back into the
studio.
I hardly
expect you to implement each idea, each “Do This” immediately.
In fact, many of my ideas won’t be at all suitable for your career.
Keep this in mind: I have more than 6,000 newsletter subscribers. I
can’t pretend that advice from each issue will work for even half of
my subscribers. You must pick and choose what works for you at this
particular moment in time and what you are able to accomplish with
your current resources. You must do what you can.
You must also weigh the content of each newsletter issue (and every
other piece of advice you receive) with your long-term goals. This
is why it’s so important to know what you want from your art career.
If you missed last week’s newsletter, listen to the podcast of “Plan
Your Wins,” which helps you form a vision for the New Year. You can
catch it on the Art Biz Blog:
http://www.artbizblog.com/2007/12/podcast-plan-yo.html
Don’t let the feeling of overwhelm paralyze you. We all have that
reaction when faced with the daunting reality of what it takes to
run a business. Creativity coach Dr. Eric Maisel said: “Overwhelm is
generally a function of not being happy and of having to do too much
just to keep meaning afloat.... There is actually more to be done in
life, not less, including the boring things, but in a context of
passionate meaning-making.”
You can’t do everything at once. You have to set priorities.
Do what you can, finding ways to enjoy the process. Most
importantly, don’t allow too many possibilities to paralyze you into
inaction. Be realistic, but challenge yourself with each step.
Use the ideas that work for you at this time in your career,
realizing that other ideas will be needed next year.
|
Know This . . .
You can't do it all.
Think About This . . .
Not knowing where you are headed will push
you in all different directions.
Do This . . .
Do what you can. Don’t succumb to the feeling
of overwhelm for long. When you sense it intruding on your
well-being, stop. Take inventory of all the possibilities,
and chart a course. Recognize what is most important--what
must take precedence--and what is leading you astray.
For a different take on this, check out my Art Biz Report
“Setting and Achieving Goals”:
http://www.artbizcoach.com/resources/reports.html
|
You are welcome to use this article on your website, blog, or in your newsletter as long as you include this complete credit line:
Copyright 2007 Alyson B. Stanfield. Alyson takes the mystery out of marketing your art and making more money as an artist. Visit
http://www.ArtBizCoach.com to get articles just like this one delivered to your inbox.
| HEARD
ON THE ART BIZ BLOG |
There was a lot on the blog last week to make you
think, question, and disagree.
►Podcast:
Plan your wins
►So you want to organize an art trip and make
money at it . . .
►What
is the museum’s responsibility to local artists?
►Chicago
workshop early registration ends 12/31
►The
artist's workspace
Read all this and more and sign up for updates at
http://www.artbizblog.com
|
Copyright © 2007 Alyson B. Stanfield. All rights reserved.
I encourage you to forward all or part of this newsletter as long as you include the above copyright information and this link: http://www.artbizcoach.com. Electronic reprint requirements are directly below the feature article.
The Art Marketing Action newsletter is sent only to subscribers.
Subscribe here. |
|
