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.

This year, try planning your wins instead. Take that list I gave you last week (also available as a podcast on the Art Biz Blog) and turn it around to plan ahead for your 2008 wins. You don’t want to leave your success to chance.

It’s time to acknowledge everything you have accomplished in the past year. This is not something that should be taken lightly, but should be part of a ritual that helps you transition from one year and prepare for a new year.

You use your mailing list to stay in touch with all of these people--to keep them informed of your goings-on. In a nutshell, your mailing list--something unique to you and your career--is the primary tool you use to share your art with the world.

If you don’t want to contribute to the costs or if you don’t think it’s your responsibility, negotiate. If they want you to pay the costs, try to get a lower commission fee.

Don't purchase a mailing list. Build your own from scratch.  No purchased mailing list can be as valuable to you as the one you build with a keen eye on your long-term goals.

This week I want to talk with you about where you're going to share all of those news releases now that you have them. Here are five outlets for your news releases.

That’s because these days, news releases are dispersed on the Internet to an audience that is much larger than the traditional press. These days, you write news releases for the world. Better put, you write news releases for your target audience.

There are certain things you have to spend money on when you’re running any type of business. You can’t ignore the fact that you will need money to grease the wheels of your art career.

Are you haunted by fears of promoting yourself and your art? Boo! The real fear isn’t in the doing, it’s in the NOT doing. While I usually try to be reassuring and supportive with these newsletters, I’m here to scare you this week. Which scenario will spook you into action?

Analyzing other art installations can help you train your eye and make your own exhibitions much stronger. Here’s how to do it.

When you submit work for an exhibit or gallery, use the statement that goes along with your selection. When you have work on your Web site, you aren’t bound to having one statement.

There are times when you might need to combine them, but otherwise, don’t allow them to be squishy. One’s about you; the other is about your art. Don’t blow them off. Make them better and use them to help you promote your art.

In Part 2 this week, I want to look at organizing your email so that you don’t maintain an inbox on your screen with hundreds of messages.

Don't let email or the Internet interfere with your studio time. That is sacred time. Organize your routines so that you take care of email before and after you enter the studio. This will give you peace of mind while you're in creativity mode.

“Be in it to win.” In other words, don’t submit proposals just for the sake of doing so. Submit them because you believe in yourself, believe in your project, and believe that you are the best person for the job.

Do you want to know what makes a good artist’s blog good? Are you curious as to why some blogs and Web sites have more traffic than others? To find your answers, all you need to do is deconstruct one.

How do you seduce people to be interested in your art? The use of the word “seduce” was an interesting and appropriate choice. Isn’t that, after all, what all artists are trying (or should be trying) to do? And isn’t the notion of seduction far more appealing than the thought of selling?

Good habits and routines free your mind for your creative juices. When worried about when you’re going to have time to do something or how you can possibly fit exercise into your schedule, you’re taking up too much brainpower. That brainpower should be spent on your art.

As you begin to settle into your career and where it’s headed, you should become more selective. Your goals have changed. You have accomplished much and are ready for new challenges.

There are opportunities all around you: opportunities to be inspired, opportunities to learn, opportunities to meet people, and opportunities to exhibit and sell your work. You just have to take the initiative. Don’t write of your community. There is more art there than you think.

Protect your art career by preparing for an emergency. Print off the above list and break it down into manageable steps. Perhaps you can tackle one item a week.

The premise behind Brilliant Thoughts in a Box is that you aren’t tethered to a specific notebook that you have to have by your side whenever the genius gene decides to come out and play. You can write on anything anywhere, as long as you’re not destroying anyone’s property.

Good stories take time to incubate. They usually don’t roll right off your tongue or flow magically from your fingertips. You have to work at them. Start with the basics of a story, and then allow yourself to elaborate and have fun with it.

You have the artists who compete to get into galleries and museums. And you have those who compete for attention on the Internet. How can you break away? How can you steal some time in the limelight for yourself?

Knowing how museums are funded and how they have to spend their money should help you plan your museum strategy. After reading this, you should know you shouldn't approach a museum and expect them to give you an exhibit next month!

Many artists have it as their goal to have a museum exhibition or, better yet, to see their work in the permanent collection of a public institution. At the same time, a great number of them are going about it the wrong way.

When those closest to you aren’t your biggest fans, it’s time to find new friends. We all need cheerleaders in order to continue building our dreams as we go down this crazy path called life.

Notice things. Pick one day this week and become aware of at least five things in your daily routine that you had never thought of before. Try to describe your sightings with words or pictures or both.

There are no guidelines for titling your art. You can give them any title you choose. Just remember that your work will have to live with the title for the rest of its life. Or not.

One of the best ways to help yourself create every day is to craft a starting ritual that you begin to use regularly and routinely. When your ritual becomes habitual you will find yourself moving effortlessly from not creating to creating.

Setting up systems and staying organized will help you remember what's most important for your success. Pick one thing from the list and tackle it this week.

You are in charge. You have control over words, prices, artwork, and your image. People will take as much power from you as you give them. Guard your power carefully. Accept 100% responsibility for your actions and make no excuses.

I’ll admit that money is a topic I’d rather not deal with. However, I’m quite aware that no one cares about my long-term financial health more than I do. And no one cares as much about your financial health as you.

A business card is one of the first marketing pieces for anyone in business. Having that 2-by-3.5” piece of paper with your contact information on it seems to impart to the world that you’re serious.

Your master résumé, which an academician would call a curriculum vitae, or CV, is just that. It’s a document that outlines all of your accomplishments. From your first public showings at the local coffee shop to art festivals to museum exhibitions.

Why is pricing so difficult? Mostly because it’s almost impossible to put a dollar figure on something that was born from the depths of your soul. We often know what we’d like to get for our work, but then reality smacks us on the head with this feedback: “Sure, that number would be great, but you’re not quite there yet.”

Sales talk is hard for most artists. Heck, it’s difficult for most people in general. It’s unnatural and it usually doesn’t work. Too many people are turned off by it. Sales these days are the result of building relationships over a period of time.

How many artist biographies have you read online? How many are memorable? Yep, most will put you straight to sleep. Those artists vying for gallery and museum attention have the most boring bios of all.

It’s important to remember that many publications don’t have the staff to write up a new article every time they find something of interest. That’s when you jump at the chance to play offense. This is the perfect occasion to mold your story and tell it in any way you like.

Your brand is the message--in the broadest sense of the word--you send out to the world. It’s a combination of your art (the most important part); you; marketing materials; and your venue or booth.

Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed by the idea that you have to do it every day. However, the more often you write, the more often visitors will return. Remember: Blogs aren’t a place for dissertations. They should be short, meaty entries that contain information of interest to your readers.

Here are some basic techie things you can do with your blog in order to make it easier for people to find you. All I can do is share what I wish I had known when I first started blogging--a Quick Start Manual, if you will.

I don’t think she’d mind me telling you this, but Margret struggled a bit at first. I encouraged her to relax and use the blog to sort out her random thoughts as well as document her research. It didn’t have to have perfect writing. Like my own blog, it took time to find the rhythm and writing style.

Blogs help you build an audience by connecting with readers on a very personal level. Whereas websites are mostly static and aloof, blogs are ever changing (or should be) and personal. If you have a very focused subject matter, blogging is that much easier.

Galleries need artists to make brilliant art and to help with promotion. You rely on each other to make a living. Because of this, you should make a deliberate attempt to nurture an honest, trustful relationship from the start.

People buy art from people they know and like. (Contacts are everything! I don’t care what anyone else says.) It just isn’t the same with a purchased mailing list full of people who have never heard of you.

Having a goal is one thing. Figuring out how to attain it is another. The goal is the big kahuna--the end result. But the baby steps will get you there. If you have a big goal, as you should, break it down into small, manageable action steps.

Get to the point! Use short sentences, short paragraphs, bullet points, and bold text where necessary. Avoid jargon at all costs. And get rid of extraneous words that hide the good stuff.

One of the best things you can do for your career is to become more connected to the artists around you. You will learn about opportunities from each other and, more importantly, you will receive emotional support from others who are walking the same path.

Have a dream, protect it (don’t listen to naysayers) and go after it. Most of us are afraid to dream. We think we don’t deserve it or that we need to be more realistic. Deep down inside, though, we know that the most successful people we know of had big dreams that they went after.

If you haven’t already done it as part of your 2007 goals, take time this week to articulate and write down where you will show your work this year. Don’t forget the virtual world and non-traditional spaces.

Have a dream, protect it (don’t listen to naysayers) and go after it. Most of us are afraid to dream. We think we don’t deserve it or that we need to be more realistic. Deep down inside, though, we know that the most successful people we know of had big dreams that they went after.