Can Your Life As An Artist Change?

(Transcription)

QUESTION: Can your life as an artist change?

Leslie Goldman: Thank you, Ann Rea. I would not be here without you. I really, you have changed my life. I feel like you unlocked the keys to figuring it out. And you opened my world to the possibilities that I didn’t even see. And I have been transformed by your wisdom. And I just can’t even tell you how grateful I am.

Ann Rea: Aww.

Leslie Goldman: Thank you. And I tell everyone what an amazing thing this course is. I tell everyone Like, I’m taking this creative business course that has changed my life. And it has. It has in so many ways, all those ways. And the attitude, that’s what it did for me. My attitude is, I can cultivate that feeling of… of ease and joy and listen to that, and know that’s the right way to go. And then things open up, my purpose comes through, and I feel empowered, and it’s just wonderful. Thank you so much.

QUESTION: What changed for Artist, Leslie Goldman?

Ann Rea: “None of the following is listed before the “Making Art, Making Money program.” Pretty damn cool. So, here’s what she said. “I know that attitude is everything, and it is so true. “It is.” Leslie has a mission. “I have support, I have focus, I have exercise daily. “I do an energy routine daily. “I practice gratitude daily. “I practice present moment awareness many times daily. “I read or do audible daily. “I have an EFT therapist. “I have smarter goals, I created a dream map. “I created an awesome new studio. “I meet with at least two study partners weekly. “I review day planner daily. “I joined a critique group. “I launched a website. “I purchased a place in a local artists tour. “I sold out of note cards at the studio tour. “I created a new body of work. “I signed up for Square. “I became a member of Studio Montclair. “I became a member of the Midmore Arts Center. “I now have professional head shots. “I started a Friday art group. “I’m taking weekly figure drawing classes. “I created a profile and have 2,500 Instagram followers. “I created a business page on Facebook. “One of my paintings is on the cover of a local magazine. “There’s a feature story in that. “And I’m meeting with a potential client on Monday “to discuss a commission. “I met two study partners in person. “I have plans to meet more. “And there’s so much more to look forward to.” Damn.

QUESTION: How did Artist, Leslie Goldman make changes?

Leslie Goldman: Your guidance was so spot-on, and every time I got to next lesson, it was like you were answering my resistance in my head or something. And so I just chipped away, I just chipped away. And that sort of, you know, so progress, not perfection. And it really is.

QUESTION: What were Artist, Leslie Goldman’s biggest challenges?

Leslie Goldman: Figuring out what to get up for every day, other than my kids. I needed, like, a meaning. I wanted to create meaning, and I didn’t really feel like I, I lost the meaning. And I guess the other thing was, I’m not sure if it was energy, no, it was a lack of focus. I was all over the place. I didn’t know what to look at first. I felt like there’s piles of my life, were just filling up around me. And it was the same principles that you taught, you teach how to apply in the semester. Like creating the goals, and breaking it down into little steps. I couldn’t see the little steps, I just saw the piles, and it was overwhelming, so it helped me to just like… Begin at the beginning, or start at the top and do the best I could. You know your advice about like cleaning up your studio, you know, a little bit at a time. And a little bit at a time, and it gets you to a place, now I feel like I’m creating my life instead of my life just filling up around me in ways that I wasn’t happy.

QUESTION: Are the other artists helpful?

Leslie Goldman: I met Sue Ann Martin in New York before she moved out to L.A. and I still talk to her. And I met Fabienne Louis, who came to my Art on Fridays group that I have. So she came and created, and we talked about Making Art, Making Money. And it was just very exciting to share the ideas and the re-talk about the reading And talk about the process, you know, and how much… It’s just, it’s really so just a great program, and so generous. It’s really amazing. So yeah, and then I have plans to meet a whole bunch more of the MAMM group in December, in New York City. And one of my study partners is coming to visit me, and then we’re going to meet some people in the city over the holidays.

Ann Rea: And you’re going to post photos, right?

Leslie Goldman: I totally will, yes, absolutely.

Ann Rea: It’s your homework assignment.

QUESTION: Is the program worth the investment?

Leslie Goldman: This program is so valuable, beyond what it even offers, because of the way it helps you reframe your life, and the attitude that it helps you to bring to your life. And when I think about how much money I spent in art school, and I got no business guidance or anything, and after graduating, it was just like a trust fund kind of career because I just didn’t know how to do it. So anyway, but so this is, this is real career guidance.

Ann Rea: Business, business.

Leslie Goldman: Business, sorry, business, yes, that’s what I meant. This is real business guidance, and it teaches you how to be an entrepreneur. And your whole iterative process that you teach, and the smarter goals that we practice, like I realize that’s like a process continually. Like, we’ll keep reiterating, and keep setting new, smarter goals, and pivoting when things don’t work. It’s just really teaching me how to set a course to achieve what I want to achieve in my business, and my life. Like, the death meditation, like, you know, it’s like Like, you don’t mess around, you’re

Ann Rea: No, I don’t

Leslie Goldman: Well, it’s so good, ’cause why wait until you’re there to go, oh, that’s what I should have done.

Ann Rea: Exactly

Leslie Goldman: So now, we like go there and we know. And so, it’s so powerful across the board. And the reading list, and the ideas, and the practices, the coach to joy and everything. It’s probably the best money anybody could spend on anything. That’s what I tell people.

QUESTION: Should artists apply?

Leslie Goldman: Yes, they should. I feel like it’s the best money spent. Like, it’s a combination of mindfulness, and like stepping into your own power. And there’s like a spiritual piece, and there’s a structuring piece, and what are the, what are the… The George Pratt, the athlete, the high performance.

Ann Rea: Yeah, performance psychology.

Leslie Goldman: You’re teaching us how to tap into our highest potential, and how to like figure it out, and how to have a plan. And also, I feel now that it doesn’t matter what your idea is, ’cause lots of people have ideas. Creative people are popping ideas out right and left. But if you don’t have a plan of what to do with it, and what you want to do with it, then nothing will happen.

QUESTION: What are your fellow students like?

Leslie Goldman: The study partners are just wonderful, wonderful people. I’ve met several really awesome people that share resources. They’re happy to share information. Happy to just talk about their experiences with their own selling. Or you know, just issues that come up within the process. And, you know, some want to do the remembering process with, and some want to do the plan a wedding. That was the first smarter goal that I did, was, you gave us the assignment to plan the wedding with the Post-Its. You know, so that everybody shows up. They’re usually an hour meeting, and people are very generous to make sure that I’ve gotten as much time as they’ve gotten. Like they want to make sure that we’re all getting what we need. And I have accountability partners that, you know, write stuff down and then say to me next week, “So, did you finish doing your blah-blah-blah?” And I’m like, oh my God.

Ann Rea: Nice.

Leslie Goldman: But it’s good because I know, there have been a few nights like on a Thursday where I was meeting someone on Friday morning, where I didn’t do like my homework. And so I’d do it, and I do it for them. Like, when I wouldn’t do it for me, I would still do it for them. And so the accountability is great. And I have a couple of people that help with that. And that’s just so great, because it is a self-paced program so to have someone kind of helping you, keep you on-point, is just so valuable. The whole, again.. It’s worth every penny, it’s like, yeah.

Ann Rea: Awesome.

Leslie Goldman: The community is incredible. So it’s all, it’s all incredible

Ann Rea: Awesome.