motivation Archives

What You’re Not Doing: 7 Mistakes Artists Make

Over the past decade, my thinking about artists’ mistakes has evolved. Most aren’t dramatic failures—they’re quiet habits of avoidance. In this updated post, I group the seven biggest mistakes into three themes: mindset, connection, and structure. Each includes a reflection to help you take honest inventory.

These aren’t fatal flaws—they’re invitations to shift. Awareness is the first step toward momentum in your art career.

What You’re Not Doing: 7 Mistakes Artists Make Read

Beyond Motivation: Deadlines and Accountability Drive Action (ep. 198)

It’s fun to start a new project, but, if you struggle to stay motivated through completion, the ideas remain good ideas. In this episode of The Art Biz, I reveal strategies for unlocking productivity and success that I have learned for myself and clients. Learn how setting clear deadlines and establishing both internal and external accountability can drive you to conquer procrastination, finish projects, and achieve your professional ambitions.

Beyond Motivation: Deadlines and Accountability Drive Action (ep. 198) Read

The Art Biz ep. 180: Affirmations for Artists to Keep You Motivated

I believe in the power of daily affirmations. I first used them a number of years ago to increase my income and it worked. My income shot up 40% that year.

I do not believe that reciting affirmations alone will move the needle. You must have the commitment to your goals in the first place and take appropriate action to move forward.

Try them and adapt to your needs.

Video included.

The Art Biz ep. 180: Affirmations for Artists to Keep You Motivated Read

7 Essential verbs for artists to embrace (170)

Action builds confidence, and you need verbs for action.

Look back on how your confidence as an artist has grown over as a result not only of reading about something or hearing about it, but of actually doing it. Making more art. Having more shows. Submitting to more opportunities.

With this in mind, I have 7 verbs to embrace, which you might not normally associate with your art career.

7 Essential verbs for artists to embrace (170) Read

Questions to Ask When You’re Stuck or Need Motivation

Everything is Googleable these days, right?

If you want to know who painted Las Meninas, Google it and you’ll quickly find it was Diego Velázquez in 1656. From there, you’ll see that it hangs in Room 012 of the Prado and can read about the Infanta Margarita and her mother’s maids-of-honor. You can even click on Room 012 and see the paintings of family members that keep the young princess company in that same gallery.

Not into 17th Century Spanish painting? Other treasures await you on the internet. You can Google how to write your artist statement, how to grow your email list, and how to use Instagram Stories.

It’s easy to find answers. It’s harder to know if the answers are right for you and when you should stop looking for answers outside of yourself.

It can be painful to sit in the unknown and explore what might be possible. But … oh! … the rewards that await you when you do.

When you sit in the question rather than looking for answers, you begin generating additional questions and rephrasing your original question to be more in line with what you are seeking.

In his exceptional book, Smarter Faster Better, Charles Duhigg notes that questions beginning with “Why” help us link hard choices to something we care about. He says, “Make a chore into a meaningful decision, and self-motivation will emerge.”

With that in mind, I’ve outlined a number of situations in which you might need a hefty dose of motivation. Each has a number of questions to help you make progress and a Big Why to ask yourself.

When You’re Not Making Art

One day off is understandable. Two days is acceptable. A week? Probably okay.

An entire month without thinking about or making art is something to be concerned about when you’re trying to gain recognition and earn money from your art.

Ask yourself …

Questions to Ask When You’re Stuck or Need Motivation Read

4 Moves To Ignite The Passion For Your Art Business

Bang! Pop! Pow!

Is that the sound of leftover fireworks I hear? Or is your art business on fire?

I would love to hear that it’s your business on fire – that you are Hot – Hot – Hot for what you have to share with the world.

If you’re only hearing fireworks outside your walls and not inside your body, there are four things you can do, and keep doing, to ignite the passion for your art business.

1. Embrace your role as CEO.

When you decide you want to earn money as an artist, you are no longer just making art. You are building a business.

As soon as you accept your role as CEO of your art business, you will experience a dramatic shift in mindset. You will understand that your talent is bigger than you. It’s the basis for a dialogue you are intended to have with the world.

Along with this comes the responsibility of ensuring that your business is run professionally and profitably.

What’s not to get excited about?

2. Schedule something big – with a deadline.

Every forward-thinking entrepreneur needs something to look forward to, and artists are no different. You want to experience the momentum resulting from snagging a new venue, hosting an open studio, or landing a commission.

Without events and deadlines on your calendar, you risk wasting time on social media and neglecting the hard work in the studio.

Don’t wait for things to happen to you. Create your own

4 Moves To Ignite The Passion For Your Art Business Read

Taking Perfectly Imperfect Action

You know that I’m all about action.

My book, I’d Rather Be in the Studio, is broken up into actions rather than chapters.

While I’m a champion of moving forward, I also slow down to read, research, and learn, which is crucial because my superpower is teaching.

While I could easily bliss out on months of research, the fact is, at some point (not too late in the process), the learning phase must make room for the action phase. No matter how much you research, it doesn’t do you any good until you put that knowledge to work.

I think we stay in information-gathering mode rather than taking action for one of two reasons:

1. We’re afraid to make a mistake (failing), or …

2. We don’t have enough fire in the belly to get moving. We aren’t hungry enough.

Let’s look at these separately and try to move past them.

Embrace Mistakes

You can’t learn simply by reading books and taking classes. The ultimate test of your knowledge comes when you implement.

The only way to grow is to take what you’ve read/heard/seen and put it into action. When you do this, you find out how it applies to your specific situation.

Yes, you’re going to make mistakes. A lot of them. Mistake-making is part of the process.

But you won’t fail. You’ll only fail if

Taking Perfectly Imperfect Action Read

Where Motivation Comes From

I want to help you expand your art business and grow your art career.

Each of my blog posts, class lessons, or live events is carefully designed to help you get one step closer to your dream.

In these formats, I can teach you:

What strategies you could be using to promote your art.
Why these strategies are helpful.
How to implement strategies.
About artists who are getting good results by using these strategies.

Still, as much as I would like, I cannot teach you how to get motivated to do the work.

I’d go so far as to say that I can’t teach you anything if you are not motivated.

I can give you information, but that information is no good if it is merely collected – put on a shelf in hopes that it will somehow magically work just because you paid for it.

I can write motivational articles or respond with positive feedback if you comment on my blog or Facebook page, but I cannot give you the motivation to take action.

Motivation must come from within you.

If you aren’t motivated to do the work, it doesn’t matter how many books you read or classes you take. You’re throwing your money away if

Where Motivation Comes From Read

How Do You Motivate Yourself to Finish a Project? (Curious Monday)

We all have projects that are part of our lives for longer than originally intended. The more we avoid them, the more monstrous they become.

Procrastination is in charge.

Today’s question …

How do you motivate yourself to finish up a project that has been hanging around the studio too long?

How to you face a project that you committed to, but no longer have any interest in?

How Do You Motivate Yourself to Finish a Project? (Curious Monday) Read

©2012 Michelle Paine, Pilgrimage: St. Peter’s. Oil on canvas, 30 x 24 inches. Used with permission.

Lessons From The Past Year

It’s hard to keep up with weekly emails about your art business, so I thought I’d point out some things that you might have missed or forgotten about this past year.

These are 12 valuable actions, from 12 different Art Biz Blog posts in 2015, to help you grow your art career while staying sane.

Marketing Your Art

1. Reduce the Boring Factor: Add Variety to Your Marketing Message

Why it’s on the list: Please, for the love of Pete, read this before you send another email.

Your art exhibition, class, workshop, or event has so many facets that there is no reason to send the same emails and social media posts for your promotions. They get a little stale after a while.

I have some ideas for you.

Lessons From The Past Year Read

motivation

When You’re Not Making Art

1. Embrace your role as CEO.

2. Schedule something big – with a deadline.

Embrace Mistakes

Marketing Your Art

Consider 44 possible reasons why your art isn't selling.