INTRODUCTION
I know what it’s like to feel like giving up on your artistic vision.
A project is taking longer than you’d planned, people seem less excited and disinterested, you’re not sure how you will find the money to finish. Look, I’m not saying this is easy but that is why I started Elevate the Artist because I wanted to see the transformation of artists to artist entrepreneurs. At the core of artist entrepreneurship is a concept that Stephen R. Covey calls proactivity.
It seems like the project is taking longer than you thought, people start to seem less excited about your work, you can’t find support from the people around you who once loved you and your work. You will get through any difficult challenge if you decide that you are willing to work through it. And, you must decide to work through it because there is nothing else in the world worth fighting or suffering for more than your artistic purpose.
“Between stimulus and response is our greatest power—the freedom to choose.”
“the first and most basic habit of a highly effective person in any environment, the habit of proactivity.”
“It means more than merely taking initiative. It means that as human beings, we are responsible for our own lives. Our behavior is a function of our decisions, not our conditions. We can subordinate feelings to values. We have the initiative and the responsibility to make things happen.”
Artist entrepreneurship cannot be theorized; either you have lived it or you have not. This said, while it is challenging, it can be done and, in this article, I will share one of the core factors that motivated me through the roughest periods of my artist entrepreneurship journey to date. I can tell you that you will get through any difficult season or challenge as long as you decide that you are willing to work through it.
Your artistic purpose is just that: yours. To get back on track and stay there, you have to first, remember that you are responsible for your future. Second, celebrate what you have already accomplished. Launching your own artistic career based on your own unique vision is bold and exciting. Starting your own business and coming up with new ideas for artistic products is not nearly as challenging as it is to know exactly how to channel your energy on a monthly, weekly, daily basis. While it is challenging, the long term benefits are worthwhile. Third, once you have accepted responsibility for your future and have celebrated yourself, it’s time to get proactive. Finding the energy to start your own business and come up with new ideas for artistic products is not nearly as challenging as it is to know exactly how to channel your energy on a monthly, weekly, daily basis. Yes, it is challenging but the long term benefits are worthwhile. Trust me. Third, once you have accepted responsibility for your future and have celebrated yourself, it’s time to flex your proactivity muscles.
To do this we can visit one of my go-to books when I need to get motivated to keep going. The widely read book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey, influences how I use my time and energy every day and it has some keys to success for artists on the journey to entrepreneurship who want to stay focused on the right things, that is, the things that we can control.
