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It is really common for people who are making creative work to look at their work the next day and be bummed that they do not like it as well as they thought they did. Or all they can see is the mistakes and things they wish they had done differently. If this is you, does this mean you are not a real artist? I talk about it in a little more depth in this video, but in a nut shell: No. What it means is that you have a fairly sophisticated critical awareness of your chosen material, be it music, writing, visual art or whatever. You have been listening to really great music, looking at visual culture, reading books all your life. You know on a deep level what good work is, what you are turned on by. This is good -- really good. The problem is that your own skills in creation have not caught up yet to your base of understanding. Be patient. Keep working. The thing you really need to do is give yourself permission to play, to follow what is compelling to you, and to let yourself be a beginner, or exactly where you are in your process. Thank your internal critic for holding out hope for that high standard. And for being such a perceptive aid in helping you make improvements over time. You will get there if you keep going. Really. Keep going.
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No really- what does it mean to you?
The reason I ask is that I think many artists and creatives are not even aware that they are holding an image of success as a standard that only makes them feel bad and is not anywhere close to what they really want in life. What if you defined your own sense of success based on your own values and desires? You might feel a weight lifted and a sense of possibility and hope come creaping in! Success might be more attainable if you really look at what matters to you and don't get lost in what you think it is supposed to be. Today these are the things that I am thinking about that define success for me:
I would love to know what success looks like for you when you base it on your true values. Please comment below!
Can I interview you? It would be so helpful for me to hear what is going on for you so I can understand how to be of better service to artists and creatives and I would be happy to offer a coaching session in exchange. For more information CLICK HERE. Why is it that the things that you make that are easy and simple and may be just warm-ups - something you do to get your juices flowing- just fun things- those seem to get more affirmation from people than the things you work really hard at and feel more like your serious art?
It's kind of crazy, isn't it, that the light stuff seems to touch people more than the stuff that matters, that is real art. It's a good question. There are layers and layers. The one key thing I want to get across is that you may be undervaluing the work that you find easy and fun and really just a pleasure to make. I can't do what you can do so when I see it, it feels like a little gift. I can feel that sense of pleasure that you've put into it. You are engaged in a process that doesn't have a weightedness to it, but has a sense of investigation and play in it. That feeling gets conveyed - that lightness of being, that pleasure. As a viewer I want that! I'm living my life, it's intense and challenging and I see this little moment you've given me - it's like a breath of fresh air. I need that as a viewer. Often the more intense work that we do, where we are trying to convey something important and make it good, can get stiff. That efforting makes us tight and that gets conveyed. As a viewer, I don't want that. So I wonder if there is a way to bring that lightness of investigation that you do with those easy things to the work that you do that feels more serious to you. Can you bring that sense of play, light investigation, the sense of not knowing what you are doing and following what is compelling to you? Even the most serious work, when I get the feeling that the artist is playing, being curious and not trying to get it right, I get drawn into it. So I think as artists we need to give ourselves permission to trust our impulse, what gives us pleasure and is compelling. If you find yourself getting worried or fearful that you are not getting it right or the 'judge' is there demanding that you do a better job with it, this is information for you. You may be heading into a 'trying too hard'. We may get more out of it as viewers if you let yourself not know what it is that you are doing and let yourself bring that sense of impish curiosity to it. I think we're going to get to deeper work that way, honestly. You get to a deeper understanding if you let go of knowing what it is that you want to convey. The thinking mind can be over-controlling. I hope this is interesting! Please share your thoughts with me! Here or val (at) taprootartsinsight.com. Subscribe to my email list here: http://eepurl.com/buTz61 What if getting your artwork out into the world does not have to be so painful?
What if in fact it was a joyous act. I know, I know it seems a little nuts. For many of us artists, it is just so confusing about why it is so difficult. I have been working on this issue and I'm excited to be working with artists and also leading a group of artists and creatives in dealing with this issue. I just want to plant a seed about this. This is the thought: if you are making art that is in alignment with your purpose, values, strengths, and your temperament and you are putting it out there in a way that is also in alignment with your purpose values, strengths and your temperament, then there is flow. You can have ease in this process. There isn't all that friction of feeling like you are off from yourself. I believe so strongly in the value of your artwork getting out into into the world. If you are someone who makes work from your heart, from your depths, your sense of discovery and process and unknown, it's so important to get this out in the world and I have been working on "what would it take to get the work out there?" It's about getting in alignment, setting up structures, understanding about connection and the exchange. I welcome you to join me here more and follow my videos. If you'd like to talk about the group. I'm doing interviews right now to understand what people are going through.
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