Firstly, apologies to you who don’t (for some unknown reason) follow Dr Who, but I couldn’t resist the pun!
Secondly, WHY is resistance magically fertile (and not futile)?
Well, ultimately it’s about being in control of your life, staying focused with your Creative Biz and true to your purpose, and avoiding the Comparison Game.
I wish I had a dollar for each time a well-meaning friend or colleague, after hearing about what I do, immediately responds with, “You know what you should do…..”.
I know you’ve all heard that too.
Because it seems if you’re a Creative, you must be deficient at organising your business, taking advantage of opportunities, having a business plan, setting short/medium/long term goals and so generally should be grateful for any unsolicited advice that comes your way.
Sound familiar??
The strength in having some brilliant foundations for my Art Biz enables me to resist being sucked into the “maybes” and stay true to the path. I’ve been priviledged to enrol in some excellent goal setting and biz building sessions. The Right Brain Business Plan by Jennifer Lee is an exceptional resource and Jenn’s philosophy resonates with what I want to achieve in my planning (not just the business as a whole).
When I enroled in Christy Tomlinson’s “Your Living Canvas“, I wasn’t expecting the positive influence Art McCracken’s mentoring sessions would have. He took us on a perilous journey back, in order to move forward in a wonderfully safe, guided environment.
Art made me realise what was holding me back; that I’m my own worst enemy; and I don’t have to be the impressionable girl of 20+ years ago. I can surround myself with supportive and honest people. Those from my past who are not so supportive — I keep at arm’s length…..not killing them off, just keeping them out of my creative biz life.
Shiny, attractive, new offers have passed over my desk in the last few years. Some have been fabulous, like the Papercrafts Festival; some have picked my brain only for them to steal the concept and re-invent with their own staff; and some I’ve suffocated with detail so it’s never seen the light of day.
PURPOSE…….if there’s one thing I’ve learnt taking all these business courses and moving into a new artistic plane, is to stay FOCUSED, stay true to your HEART’S DESIRE, filter all offers with whether it aligns with your PURPOSE for your business. Do all this, and investigate all offers before deciding what will make your heart sing. Sometimes initial concepts can be tweaked to be mutually beneficial.
RESIST the urge to follow-through with every offer or well-intentioned idea. Granted, a fun, creative canvas-painting day at a friend’s daughter’s Prep classroom would be enormous fun, but the planning and resource gathering would not have benefited me both financially and repuationally (yes, I just made that word up)…..
YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I MEAN….
Staying focused and with purpose
sincerely,
Giovanna xx
p.s. I have some live workshops and market dates in the pipeline. If you are a local to the Brisbane area, make sure you sign up to my newsletter and let all your friends know too. It’s over in the sidebar, up the top 🙂
Giovanna Scott artist 