Winging It

Posted on by

Sitting here going through paperwork, creating systems of filing and looking at papers from seven years ago thinking, gosh I was really winging it back then!

I really had no idea what I was doing as an artist who was earning a living through my creative pursuits. All I knew was that I needed to do this, to follow my passion and persevere. But I really was winging it!

I was learning as I went, I’m still learning 11 years later but I now have 11 years of experience and knowledge to draw on.

But I think this is part of the journey. I love what Seth Godin says about shipping and putting your art out there.

Taking action by creating and then sharing it with the world. Because if we wait until we are ready or until we believe that we “can” or until the work is perfect, then we constantly put it off and won’t do it at all.

Of course this is fear playing it’s game, but when we take action even when we have fear, this helps us get through that resistance and get through to the other side! Which often is right there, one step away!

So take ACTION! NOW! Whatever you’ve been meaning to start – DO IT NOW! Whether it’s writing a book, starting a new painting, finishing an old one, committing to a new body of work or buying tools that you need to begin creating. Go and DO IT NOW. And everyday you wake up, do it again and again and again.

Judge Not – Someone Loves You

Posted on by

When I was creating a series of mandala, my least favourite mandala was the one that most people resonated with. Interesting huh.

As artists we are the most critical of our works. Yes there will be people who don’t like what you do, but there will be those who absolutely love what you do. Those are the ones that you need to connect with.

And how do you connect with these people?

First things first, you must do what you love because you love to do it! Many artists, especially those who are establishing themselves as full time artists, at some point realise that being in business as an artist requires a constant flow of cash. I know that when I first started as an artist, I was full of passion, but then reality set in and all of a sudden I was creating to make money out of necessity. I was meeting the demand of the market rather than creating what I loved to create and finding those who loved it too.

This approach can become soul destroying.

So continue to create what you love and connect with people who love it. They will tell you if they love your art! The wonderful thing about social media is that you can connect with many many people around the world. Possibilities are endless. All you need to do is be on that platform to connect with others. And share (for free) your art with the world.

Of course this is not the end of it. It requires more than that, but this is a good place to start. You need to be out there sharing your art with the world because being a closet artist creating amazing masterpieces does not serve anyone, including you!

So here is the action:

Start creating art that you love to create.

Share that art with the world in as many places as possible, or with just one person if you are more comfortable with that.

Keep creating and keep on sharing!

And here is an extra tip:

Don’t overthink all of this. Just do! Because when we give our mind the space to think, it can take us over and we end up doing NOTHING. And we don’t want that to happen.

Keep on keeping on!

Love Jo x

Fear

Posted on by

It has been 20 years since I first embarked on this journey as an artist and if there is anything that can get in the way of progress FEAR can!

And even now, I still experience Fear of being judged, fear of being criticised, fear of not being good enough. At the end of the day that is what it all comes down to – feelings of not being good enough.

So as an artist, how do we conquer this Fear?

Well, over the years I’ve had to face the music and just DO! Just get out there, look fear in the face and JUST DO IT. When I was in my teens one of my favourite quotes I learnt was “feel the fear and do it anyway”. And this has stuck with me today. I’ve had so many opportunities over the years to face my fear and I can say that each step I took, each time I looked fear in the face, it helped me just that little bit more to deal with fear.

And I have had a bit of help along the way with different healing journeys which have all contributed to my letting go of this thing we call FEAR.

It is amazing how much it can have a grip on us, how hard it can be to let go, but each moment we let go and get up in front of that crowd, or put ourselves out there we move one step towards being FEARLESS.