029: ART CONNECTIONS

EPISODE 29

 

 

‘As connected as we are with technology, it’s also removed us from having real human connection!’

 

 

Your art life and art career will know many ups and downs. You will not always live at the pinnacle of your artistic success. You will know times of abundance and times of lack.

 

There are seasons when you will do more, feel more, sell more and moments when you just need to trust, stay calm and keep creating, expecting good things to come your way!

 

The reality of being a working artist can be daunting and when those disappointments, rejections and failed attempts present themselves you don’t have the luxury to dwell on them long. You need to get back into your studio to make your art.

The people you surround yourself with make all the difference in these moments of blur and dullness! Those cheerleaders that know what you need, give you the look or simply push the right buttons to get you back on track and heading towards creative healing.

 

For many artists, creators and makers this one word can make all the difference in the world yet it can be such a struggle to get out of our mouths.

Asking for HELP can be challenging but once asked can offer support, give answers, present solutions and move your art business forward toward more success.

 It is simply a myth that we need to create all by ourselves. Sure, being an artist is very solitary. You spend many hours making and creating in your studio. It’s YOU that needs to pick up that brush, activate your creative powers and do the work but this does not mean you need to do it alone. 

Do you need help with your art website? Then it is time to ask somebody for help! Do you find it difficult to focus or finish a task? Call a friend and ask for help! Who can you connect with on a regular basis to talk to and share your art dreams with? Are there skills that you are missing in your skillset? It's time to take a lesson and ask for help!

Asking for help does not make you less of an artist! Asking for help does not mean you are weak or lacking. It just means that you don't know something and you are asking somebody to assist you.

 

Asking for help is actually a beautiful thing. It means that you are big enough to admit that you don't know it all and small enough to recognise someone else's greatness!

 

Who do you need to call today and ask for help! You may not always get the answer you are hoping for right off the bat but keep going until you get the help you need!

 

These last few months as we all try and navigate this pandemic it has once again become clear how much we need human connection. We need other people! We are designed for connection!

The beauty of art is that it's all about connection. Connecting your thoughts with the material and in turn sharing our art with real people with feelings and emotions.

In this podcast we will be highlighting 3 levels of connections that are crucial to your artistic work and wellbeing.

 These three levels are:

1. Connecting with your artistic self,
2. Connecting with your support base,
3. Connecting with your art audience.

Connection with Yourself

 If you have taken that bold step to take your creativity seriously and transform your art into revenue streams, you know better than anybody else that your creative endeavours start and end with you. 

 

If you don't get going and make the work, your art will simply not get done!

 

Your art starts and ends with you. At times many artists find this rather overwhelming and struggle to get art made on a consistent basis.

 

With 7.8 billion people on the planet, each different and unique, it will be of great benefit to you to have a solid understanding of your own personal needs.

Find ways to connect your inner needs to align with your outer goals. Many creatives head straight into a burn-out because their goals don’t match their deep personal needs. The more you understand what you need to stay motivated, inspired and productive, the better you are able to build that sustainable, meaningful art career.

Take time this week to write down what your short term art aspirations are? Do you want to finish a body of work? Discover new and exciting theme's? Plan an exhibition at the end of the year? Whatever your short term aspirations are, write them down on paper.

Next, take some time to write down your personal needs? What makes you truly happy? What project did you do that really brought you joy? Describe what a perfect day would look like?

Do your aspirations match your needs? The better these inner and outer needs and goals are connected the more productive and enjoyable your art life will be!

 

Connection with your Support Base

 Making and creating art is a beautiful process that requires intense focus and commitment. Artists spend countless lovely yet often lonely hours creating and making in their studio’s. It is a happy place but incomplete if we don’t step out and find ways to connect with others.

 

The fear of being misunderstood or a burden can keep you disconnected, which means you are not functioning in your artistic strengths. Your artistic success directly reflects your ability to connect with your support base, your followers and collectors.

 

 

 Do you have a support base cheering you on?

 In the worksheet you will find questions and tasks to help you build a better, stronger support base.

 

 

Connection with your Art Audience

 You don't make your art to just sit around your studio and collect dust. Your art deserves an audience! Your creativity is a gift that really comes to life when you share it.

Even in these extraordinary times, the internet still offers artists fun and exciting ways to connect with potential art buyers. Your artist website, your social channels, the images that you use and the words that you choose to articulate your art, all contribute to how well you connect that what you do with your art audience.

 Have you found ways to connect your art with people that appreciate and understand what you do and are excited to pay for it?

 

 

If you are serious about your art and want to build a sustainable business around your creativity, you can’t afford to leave it to chance. Building a meaningful art career requires action. Connecting that what you are passionate about with an audience takes focus, clear goals and strategic steps.

 It is empowering and liberating to know that you can actually play such a vital role in your own artistic success and with the possibilities online, the sky is really the limit!

 

Artist Challenge

Take some time this week to assess how well you are connecting with your own art heart! Do you have a solid support base? Have you found ways to share your art and your enthusiasm about what you are making with an audience that is willing to listen?

 

Take steps

Decide on steps that you can take this week to upgrade your connections. Do you need to start a journal or ask a friend for help with your schedule or finally get your instagram profile up to date. Wherever you need to do to build stronger, better connections, it’s time to take bold new steps. 

 

Resource

Head over to the resource! 5 Things Success Artists Get Right is an insightful guide that highlights key steps that you can start to apply to your art and your art life. The resource comes with a practical worksheet that will help you take action and find ways in which you can start to connect on a whole new level.