It may sound scary at first, practice putting yourself out there. Posting images of you work, entering into art competitions, or showing up to the community critique night. The fact of the matter is No One Can Know what they Don't Know. People can't appreciate your creative genius, or hire your skills, if they didn't know you do that creative practice in the first place.
I ask you this: What is one thing you could do TODAY that would further your creative practice in the direction of WHAT YOU WANT?
This can be tricky, sometimes we aren't 100% clear on what we want. What does the ideal creative practice look like to you? For example, is it painting in the studio two days straight or making a full-time living off of your creative expertise? How much time do you want to spend working on your creative practice? What skill level do you want to be at? How much money do you want to generate? Do you have people in mind that you want to collaborate with?
Taking the time to fully imagine your dream scenario down to the smallest detail, is the first step to generating the reality of your dreams..literally.
This photo was taken during my first solo mural job in 2020. I decided I wanted to paint a wall on my own, and shared that desire in conversations with others. Then, the opportunity presented itself, and I said, "Hell yes!" Was I nervous? You know it, but I was COMMITTED to making it happen. (*Side note, I once worked for a man who told me, "Say yes to everything, you can figure it out as you go, you are smart and capable enough to handle it...Some of the best advice anyone ever gave me.) I enlisted support from my mentor in the beginning of the project, remained transparent with the client, and showed up to make it happen.
After completing this job, the opportunity to enter into a juried show at the Acadiana Center of the Arts (ACA) arose for a show called SLAMMED!!! The idea was to generate a group of work based around 80s/90s wrestling. I found myself saying, "No way, I'd never have or do something for that kind of show." Upon some though, I realized that I was engaging in some negative self talk, limiting beliefs, and excuses for not doing the work. Even though it was not my usual subject matter, I decided to make something anyway. At the same time, I also made the choice to begin changing the things I was telling myself about creating this wrestling piece. I mean, have you seen the crazy costumes of Randy Savage and other wrestlers of that time? There has to (at the least) be an amazing color palette in there, somewhere.There is a total Lisa Frank meets Pee Wee vibe in some of those patterns. I began reminding myself how this was good practice for creating in general, that the process would be fun, and the worst thing that could happen is I may repaint the whole thing. The choice was made and I painted, then submitted, and my piece was chosen for the show. It felt awesome to be in a show, maybe get a little name recognition, maybe sell the piece, but the best part was knowing that I made the choice, and put the work in and that work got my piece in the show. **Pat self on back.
Building confidence takes practice like any other skill. Start small and take action often.
Creative coaching is a great way to support your creative practice, and yourself, in getting where you want. Go to the link below and set up a free conversation to see what coaching can do for you.
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