A reader e-mailed me recently with a question. She's been dabbling at her art for awhile now, but she's ready to take the plunge. She's getting a new studio, she's freed up some time in her life. It's time to get serious.
And it's scary.
Do I have any tips? Oh, yeah!
I "dabbled" quite awhile, too. It was scary to commit fully to making a go of my art. In fact, the only thing that got me off the pad was something even scarier. My husband got laid off with about 36 hours' notice. Suddenly, my "hobby" had to contribute in some way to our family. I got serious overnight. The rubber hit the road.
Now it's eight years later, and some days I feel like a success. Other days I feel like...well, not. But I still remember the fear I felt that day. It got worse when we sat down and went over our family finances.
Within a year, my hobby went from a pastime that sucked money OUT of the household, to a small business that supported itself and contributed somewhat to our bottom line.
I still don't contribute in a huge way. The last three to four years have been hard on my biz financially. But I'm still afloat and still moving forward (I think.)
I don't have all the answers. But I DO remember what that felt like, to take that step. And I know how I got over some of the biggest obstacles and roadblocks.
The biggest was FEAR.
Fear of the unknown. Fear of failure. Fear my work was no good or not desirable. Fear of doing it wrong. Fear of making mistakes. Fear of what other people would say.
Afterwards, I swear you will look back on this period and recognize one thing--the abyss you have to cross, of committing yourself to making and selling your work, is a mile deep.
But it's only three feet across to the other side.
You don't go from producing art to financial success overnight. You simply start taking steps that make sense to you. Every day, try to take one step that moves you forward.
And more importantly, accept that some days, you will feel like you are moving backwards. It happens. You will survive. You will learn, and grow, from your mistakes.
Fear is good when it keeps us from coming to real physical harm. But it's NOT good when it drives the car. Making decisions about your art based on fear is rarely a good strategy.
So what does that look like on a day-to-day basis?
It means making work that pleases you. It means making time to make the work. It means taking risks. And it means making mistakes.
Because you WILL make mistakes, many mistakes. Sometimes you can learn from the experience of others, but not always.
For the next few days, I'll share my experiences with my first shows, my first mailing lists, my first jury sessions, my first attempts to photograph my work, my first consignments and my first wholesale call.
I hope to encourage you to stay the course and figure out what works for YOU.
