Sometimes artists just have to…quit!
That’s what I did. In fact, I didn’t paint or draw anything for over seven years.
What happened? I developed chronic anxiety, insomnia, and depression.
Then I began painting again to help quiet my mind and loosen the stranglehold of anxiety.
I had no intention of showing my paintings to anyone, let alone any intention of selling them.
Eventually I made a commitment to build a profitable full time creative enterprise.
I defined a unique value proposition and a target market.
I found my muse, the press found me, and I made money.
But then two vital strategic partnerships failed.
And guess what? I had to quit, again!
After I stopped feeling sorry for myself, I reached out to my mentors and I developed a new business strategy and defined a new target market.
It turned out to be a fantastic decision. My average commission price soared and I enjoy this new market so much more.
So sometimes it actually pays to just, quit!
But then you’ve got to adjust your attitude and get back on the horse. I was reminded of this today.
On March 10 and 11th I’ll be teaching a free two-day seminar at Creative LIVE. So sign up now!
I’m inviting a diverse group of artists who I’ve worked with to share their successes, failures, and some of the lessons they’ve learned.
I phoned one artist who I worked with early on. Unfortunately, her creative enterprise wasn’t doing so well.
Racked with debt and disappointment it seemed that she was not generating much, if any, profit and she was just out of gas.
I was concerned and I wanted to help her.
She’s smart and talented. I know that there is a market for her work but her strategy is still off. But not completely off.
So I offered to give her a mini-marketing makeover via Skype on Creative LIVE, free of charge.
What happened? She got very defensive.
My lessons learned? I failed to communicate and I was reminded that path to hell is often paved with good intentions.
I could have connected her immediately with some key prospects and helped her tune up her business strategy.
But she didn’t ask for my help and the one thing I can’t help with is reversing an artist’s negative attitude.
The moral of this story?
Failure is inevitable.
Your attitude determines your recovery rate from failure and the quality of your relationships.
Therefore, your attitude is the very best indicator of your future success and your happiness.
If you have really tried and it’s just not working, admit it. There’s no shame in that.
- As long as you take a break.
- Rejuvenate your mind, body, and soul so that you can adjust your attitude.
- Then get some help and get back at it.
Why? Because we can’t succeed alone.
Relationships equal revenue.
