Is Your Lack of Focus Creating Scarcity?

How can an artist overcome scarcity thinking?

(Transcription)

Artist, Nathalie Almo Daigle, Montral, Canada

What were your top two challenges?

Nathalie Daigle: 00:04 Before I took the course, I had a lack of focus. I was scattered and I was not focusing on my art because I am not just working on my art, I have another job also. That was the main thing; making SMARTER goals, that really helps me because it helps me focus and I am wake up in the morning and I know where I’m going. I have a direction now. That’s different. That’s the first thing. The second, what’s different now is finding my Why and what inspires me to create. I am so grateful for that because it just makes me feel full. Before, I just didn’t know why I was painting and who I was painting for, so that is the biggest thing for me.

What happened for you when your fellow student sold her art for $25,000?

Nathalie Daigle: 00:56 So Marie, when she said to a client that her painting was not negotiable and then she sold it for $25,000! I’m listening to the video, I’m reacting because it had such an effect on me that I didn’t know was there because it was like something was being revealed to me. I would tell you that that $25,000 I could say that it was like a red light flashing for three reasons. First of all, I have to admit that $25,000 flashing brought me back in a place of living in scarcity. I thought I had dealt with that, but no, it was still there and I had to admit it. Then I have another job, besides painting, and at this other job I’m making $25,000 a year and that isn’t much. So that $25,000 is flashing again for me. And what happens now is that with this other job time is very scarce, time for creating is very scarce. What else came up for me deep down was that the real scarcity for me is that I am not living my soul’s truth. I’m not. So thirdly, that $25,000 that Marie sold, for me is I admit I want to sell paintings of $25,000 too. That’s like a big red light for me.

Ann Rea: 02:33 Hell yeah!

Nathalie Daigle: 02:36 So those were like things that I’m admitting. I knew they were there. I knew. I’m taking the course: Making Art Making Money to connect the dots of making art and making money, but going through fears, moving through fears and lacks and obstacles. But finding, this is what the course is giving me, finding what inspires me to create and just knowing that it’s needed. Just knowing that it’s needed out there, I’m so grateful for that. So here I’m talking about two things. I’m talking about lacks, but discovering why I’m painting makes me feel whole. I really feel like some wholeness inside me that I’m touching so I think that watching Marie is revealing to me that I still am living from a place of scarcity. I don’t want to ignore that.

What feelings came up?

Nathalie Daigle: 03:36 It stirred some things in me that I had needed to face and those lacks that are still there, but it’s so inspiring because she’s doing it. So when we do connect with other people, it’s the connection of having other artists living similar things and then selling paintings, doing it, selling paintings for a good amount of money it’s like possibilities opened up for me. Lots of possibilities and I’m really grateful.

What did you realize?

Nathalie Daigle: 04:10 Thinking of the creative flow of things and if I’m discovering that it’s not, well it’s revealed to me that I had still have scarcity embodied inside me, then I need to clean it. I need to go clean that. I can’t move forward. I’m grateful that she did. She had the effect, and that $25,000 had an effect on me. I want to go back and clean my river, go inside and clean it before moving on. That’s what I don’t want to ignore. That’s why I think this course for me connecting, the dots of making art on one side and then making money on the other side, these dots are like, you need to reiterate. It’s like a cycle of life.

Did you have goals before this program?

Nathalie Daigle: 04:57 Yes. But they were not SMART in the sense that they were not actionable. I had big goals. I would put big goals and I would be so demanding on myself and then I would just lose my focus because it was too big. Now it’s not. The SMARTER goal is not too big. Now I know that it is it’s actionable. It is realistic. It is time bound. It makes sense and I’m not scared of it anymore and I don’t lose focus because it’s just an inspiration now. I feel different inside me. I feel like what I’m doing and what I’m putting out there is needed out there and that makes a big difference.

Why is it important to talk about money?

Nathalie Daigle: 05:48 Coming out and admitting, yes, I made $25,000 at my other job and that’s it. And yes, that 25,000 is important me. I want to admit that out loud and it feels good. It really does. To talk about money. I think one thing important is at the core for me between M.A. and M.M- what’s in the middle? For me it’s value because if you value, you don’t discount. If you value you’re proud to talk about your mission, you’re proud to discuss it, to have a conversation, be authentic. That’s really the heart for me is the value because I did not value.

Do you feel less pressure?

Nathalie Daigle: 06:38 I think it takes off pressure because I’m a person that’s very demanding on myself and putting goals and big goals and maybe too many tasks in one day. But when I think that working, and creating and creating for solving a problem or for others, it’s less pressure on me. I’m less demanding because this is something that will be not about me. It will be out there for someone else. That took a lot of pressure off and I had a lot of pressure before the course. It was always based on me and my expression, now it’s not me who expresses and that really is different. I find that the purpose, knowing why and what inspires me to create, is always growing. It’s like organic for me. It’s growing. It has different layers.

How do you reduce scarcity?

Nathalie Daigle: 07:42 To focus on what we have. That’s, that’s gratitude, isn’t it? Gratitude helps. Gratitude; what we have. I started journaling on gratitude. It’s very important for me. Lacks will always be there and new lacks come up, I’m discovering more and more. But if I think of this as a cycle, it’s always a circle for me. It’s a cycle. It’s lifecycles like nature. I’m not going to reach perfectness and know my soul’s truth and just live off my arts, that’s not realistic. That’s really interesting to find in this course. Realistic things. It’s not pink and it’s not all roses, but it’s true. It’s real.

What is your advice to artists?

Nathalie Daigle: 08:43 Well of course it’s very important to understand why and what inspires you to create that for sure. But more than that, I would like to say to everyone; when there’s something blocking the flow, do attend it. Do not pursue and continue selling, continue wanting to market your art. Go get that rock. The rocks in the river blocking the flow, no matter how big they are or small, I think we need to attend that and we need to clear them out and clean them in order to make space. I find that sometimes some people think, okay, they’ve done Code to Joy and then they don’t do it anymore. They just think it’s done, it’s checked. No. I think it’s a cycle and we need to face what’s not working and clean it. I think that I would like to give that advice to everyone.

If you could, what would you tell your younger self?

Nathalie Daigle: 09:42 What people have to say about me is really none of my business. That’s what I would say to myself. I would worry what people think and now I’m older and more mature so I can’t say it’s completely gone, but I’ve worked at a lot. But the young me worried so much what people think.

What did you think about having study partners in the program?

Nathalie Daigle: 10:05 If I would go back to day one, I was scared. I was scared like what was this? Study partners? It was a part of the course that I took time to tame. It took me three weeks, maybe one month, and I just saw the value in it. It was amazing because I have lots and I keep speaking to them and I have different ones. That’s what I like. Really different ones. Go out there and find different people. Don’t stick the same ones because it’s so enriching. I find that the community, while not just that also the connection that we find by finding people in different countries, different time zones that are living the same thing as us is amazing. From different parts of the planet, you connect right away and we’re living the same thing and it’s very important to reach out. Go ahead and reach out. That’s what I did. At one point I just contacted 20 of them.

Ann Rea: 11:17 Good for you!

Nathalie Daigle: 11:19 It was like, I wanted to have to reach all the people that were almost done. They were finishing in one month and I had just started and I said, I’m going to reach everyone because I just resonated with lots of them. So I just messaged everyone and everybody answered. I had 20 calls.

What would you say to other artists about this program?

Nathalie Daigle: 11:40 I would ask them, if they’re not sure; Well, do you want to continue the way you are now? Are you selling art? Are you struggling? I would ask them that and if they were still hesitating, I would say; well, on this side of the fence, you find out why and what inspires you to create and reach out so you’re not alone anymore. You reach out and you actually create for others and it makes it feel so, well for me, it makes me feel so whole. That’s a big word, but it does. It really does.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *