How to Feel More Abundant in Your Life and Art

In this blog post I encouraged you to consider how your frugality might be hurting your art business by sending the wrong message to potential collectors.

At the end of that article, I posed questions for you to think about, which we will now look at in depth. The intention is to ensure that you are not only living with an abundant heart, but that you are projecting that way of being into the world.

1. How do others treat you?

Perhaps a better question is this: How do you allow others to treat you?

For example … If you’re a member of an artist organization, what is the room like at your artists’ meetings? Is it dark, gray, and lifeless?

Do something to combat the drudgery and nurture abundance throughout the organization. Ask members to bring snacks on beautiful trays – preferably handmade by an artist – instead of paper plates.

Assign alternating people to arrive early at each meeting to clean the room and serve as welcoming hosts.

You can be the catalyst for change within any organization to which you belong.

We teach people how to treat us by our actions and responses. These are things we have control over.

2. How do you treat yourself?

Care for yourself as if you are worth it—as if your dreams are worth it.

There are plenty of inexpensive or free things you can do to feel more abundant in your daily life. For example:

• Use cloth napkins at home instead of paper napkins or grab a glass instead of a plastic cup. And, every so often, bring out the “good china” and silver for a meal.
• Make time to exercise and cook healthy meals with fresh ingredients to take care of your body.
• Read to enrich your mind.
• Do your hair and put on makeup. Or make a statement with a scarf around your head if the hairdo thing is too much.
• Donate clothes that don’t fit or have holes in them.
• Buy $10 bouquets in a bunch at the grocery store and divide them into small glasses or vases to spread the joy of fresh flowers.

3. How do you treat others?

To become more abundant, recognize the gifts others can bring to your life.

I can’t ask you to develop a more abundant mindset if I’m not treating you like you deserve it. I recognize that I am here to serve you. To do that, I must acknowledge your expertise and experience.

I encourage you to do the same.

Physical gifts aren’t necessary for most situations, but there are equally (if not more) precious gifts of time, knowledge, and gratitude.

You can do this by being fully present for your conversations … By listening to ideas and opinions with an open mind – without judgment and without interrupting to share your own experiences. I know how hard this is, and I fail at it more often than I succeed. But it’s a practice that can be cultivated.

Deepen your practice of being present by expressing gratitude in every situation. Look up from your billfold to look the store clerk in the eye and say Thank You with a full-on smile. Ask for the names of your servers and utility workers so that you can address them respectfully.

Compassion is one of the principal things that make our lives meaningful. It is the source of all lasting happiness and joy. – Dalai Lama

Share your gifts of time and knowledge in these ways:

• Schedule an appointment with a friend to help her solve a dilemma.
• Tell other artists about your latest find at the art-supply store.
• Send notes of thanks to people who make a difference in your life.

The more you give of yourself, the more you will receive in return. And there is no such thing as scarcity in our Universe. The abundance is there for you to cultivate.

This post was originally published on September 7, 2017 and has been updated with original comments intact.