Success: Depends On Your Definition

Ah, Success. I am infatuated with people who appear to be successful. I want to look, present and act successful and not be the mental sad sack that I feel sometimes when it comes to my art. I know that defining success and art are subjective. Tell my head. That is why I continually and successfully seek help.

When I look at my blog stats and Facebook for that manipulated matter, my numbers are quite abysmal when it comes to popularity and comments.  However, I am playing a role in this by not having a reliable posting schedule, and not leaving comments on other people's blogs as I once did awhile back. A must in blogland. Another factor is getting clarity of who I am writing this blog for, besides myself? Who is my intended audience? Great question as I am in the throes of taking a self-study online class on making a better blog through Alyson Stanfield's Artbiz Coach.com.  I thought I knew but that may change.

Here is a recent link from Alyson that you may find helpful if you have or want write a blog/newsletter:  http://www.artbizblog.com/2012/06/content-structure.html

In April, I attended a lecture through the Chicago Creative Expo presented by Paul Klein, a Chicago art advocate, instructor and former gallery owner on How to Succeed in the Art World. One of THE BEST hours I ever spent. I did not want it to end. I am sharing this video from his website .  Under the video are some highlighted notes from the lecture I attended.

My mental sad sackiness is that my starting over and beginning anew with my work has me still grappling with how to get it out there and JUST GET IT OUT THERE!!!  It's not the how really but WHERE???  Where do I fit in with the new and where do I want to be? I learned last week that another one of the many stores I was in for years with my boxes and was quite $uccessful closed its doors.

Below are his successful words taken from my notes and a few highlights from that lecture:

"The obstacles we find in front of us are the obstacles we put in front of us. It is important to be vulnerable. Being vulnerable is a really good strategy about being ourselves.  The more time we put into our art, the more the viewer spends looking at it."

Three things that will enable you/ME(talking to myself) to have a successful art career:

(I have two out of the three so far.)

• Your art must be distinctive and different from everyone else therefore it becomes recognizable, on a practical level, people can't compare you. (I believe I am doing that - aha success!) You need to be who you are, be memorable and be yourself. 

•  Get MY/your Ass in the Game ( this is the area where I am least successful)

•  You/I Need to Make Good Art ( hmmm, where have I heard that before??!! ) 

Right now, in this very moment, my plugging away at success is still behind the scenes with writing, finishing Etsy, researching venues and painting. My ego and finances are looking forward to the time when most of my grapples are answered, my work is out in full display, I'm making connections and selling my art.  Then I can and will definitively declare Success.

Quote Me: Worth the Risk

"Always be willing to give up what you are for who you can be. "

Mark Twain

No sooner do I write about about risk taking and I'm tested. The instigators: a quote, a 15 minute rule, and a supplemental job opportunity.

Some background info:
Things have slowed a bit these past couple months at my steadily fluctuating paycheck job, along with art sales. I love having the flexibility that this job affords me and it helps to be surrounded by art, art curators, and interesting people. I do have some commissioned orders due in the Spring. However, this increasingly reversal trend of my income is unsettling. So I started looking and applying for additional part-time work that will still provide the flexibility to create and market my art.

A hiring opportunity presented itself last week which I was excited about until I heard my hours were all Fri-Mon PM hours. I am an AM working person and AM/PM creative. I love painting at night. Combine those hours with my already existing schedule and that would leave me with little time to create, DO EVERYTHING I need to do to grow, or even have a modicum of a social life. But it is $$-not much but it's still welcome $$.

Something just doesn't feel right. I can continue doing MORE of WHAT I am doing, which I don't want to, or REALLY REALLY RISK WHO I CAN BE, which is a seriously committed and successful artist. With a third job, I would be procrastinating my goals even further. What it really boils down to is money and playing it safe or going for it with more faith and conviction. There is ABSOLUTELY no right or wrong. Just gut and intuitive instinct.

Enter the Risk Instigators:

A small section of my "as yet to be titled" acrylic painting

Instigator #1: One of my co-workers is a fantastic jewelry artist, who like me, is reinventing her professional direction. She is weaning her artistic talent to study and pursue her new passion in urban planning as I delve more into art. We talk and share. Neither one of us is doing exactly WHAT we want full time but it works and we are grateful to have it. She is responsible for igniting the first phase of this particular risk thought process. She sent the Mark Twain quote that appears at the top of this post. Yeah Robin!!

Instigator #2 : Alyson Stanfield's Art Marketing Action newsletter/blog discussed devoting at least 15 minutes a day to stay connected to your art in some way. "If you don't, you are telling yourself and everyone in your life that making art is your lowest priority." Oh no. That is what I am saying, doing and feeling and that isn't right. To fully appreciate and put in context, please click on this link to read the wonderful blog in its entirety.

I didn't want my bluff to be called. I took the risk test. I summoned my left brain. I evaluated and re-evaluated EVERYTHING. I declined the third job. The hours of the third job made me realize HOW much I really want to create art and NEED IT. I even thanked the prospective employer for that.

The result: I feel more motivated, excited, and determined.

Balance
4"x4" Yin/Yang acrylic painting

I am BALANCED. I passed. Definitely worth the risk.

Thanks-giving

I am taking a brief time-out from a self-induced, self-made frenzy of creating to regain some perspective. You may or not be an I Love Lucy fan (I am) but there is an episode where Lucy and Ethel are working in a chocolate candy factory on an assembly line to earn extra money. They love chocolate. I love art. At first the job seems easy, dipping and wrapping chocolate at a nice, doable pace. Their supervisor thinks they are doing a superb job and speeds up the momentum. What once appeared fun and easy becomes...well..a stressful job. And when it is your product and your business, your dream, the challenges appear greater... or FEEL greater. There is more on the assembly line: ego, emotions, money goals.

I actually do love making and creating art. The holiday season accelerates the process. It also distorts. Along with the pressure of creating comes the fear and doubt of will this work sell? Will I have enough inventory? Getting down to business, it's the financial last hoorah of the year. The pressure is on.

I am stepping back from this self-made pressure cooker (only for a few hours, then resuming production!) to get into the holiday spirit, and.............
THANK EVERYONE -artists, bloggers, Alyson Stanfield @ArtBizCoach.com,
friends, coworkers,family,and retailers who have shown and given such spectacular support, technical tutelage, inspiration, kindness, appreciation and generosity to me and my creations. You have made my decision to create a rewarding one.

HAVE A WONDERFUL AND FEAST-IVE THANKSGIVING!

:)Marilyn

If you are in Chicago this weekend, November 28 & 29, stop by the Bucktown Holiday Bazaar, Holstein Fieldhouse, 2200 N. Oakley between 11-5 both days. Save this date too: Sunday December 13-Architectural Artifacts.