3 things to give up to uplevel your artistic creativity

Today I want to talk about 3 things that you need to let go of if you want to increase your levels of authentic creativity.

    Now, you may be wondering why I am dwelling on the negative in this topic but I’ve realized in my own life that in order for me to reach to new levels in my creativity, I had to let go of some of the thoughts that were not serving me, and were actually a major DISTRACTION from me reaching a higher level in my art.  It’s like if you could picture a beautiful crane in a lake, and it’s hanging out there, and then it started to fly but it had a weight attached to its leg so it couldn’t make it up into the air.

The same can go for your art creation—once you let go of the weight of these negative habits then you will be able to soar to new heights!

The first thing that you have to let go of is any attitude of victimization.  You may feel that the gallery you worked with did you wrong, or that the art world rejected you, or that people just don’t get your art, that you are not in a situation to sell art because you don’t have enough time, money or talent, and that you are the victim in these situations.  However, thinking like this robs you of all of your power. 

 The way to over come the mindset of victimization is to really forgive whoever it is that you believe hurt you. When you forgive, then you take all your power back because you are no longer spending your time thinking about how that person did you wrong, and feeling those toxic emotions, and instead are letting that weight go free. Forgiveness can really be an internal thing for you, so that you are no longer being held hostage by that other person.  It’s not your fault what happened to you, but it is your responsibility to heal if you want to truly take ownership of your life and specifically your art career.  It’s a decision to no longer let others who did you wrong have a hold on your life!

If you want to take it one step further, then think of something positive that came out of this situation.  Like for an example if you had a gallery that acted unethically towards you, that might have prompted you to start building up your own collector list so that you didn’t have to totally depend on an institution again.  The point is to let go of the label of being a “Victim” and think of yourself instead as the “Victor!”

    The second thing that you can do is to reduce the importance of outcomes.  For instance, if you are applying for a grant or a prize, reducing the importance of the outcome of that situation.  An outcome is just a symbol of a state of being, of who you are.  A great example of this is when academic institutions bestow a degree on a great artist, author, or luminary post-humously, or after they have died.  They want to honor the contributions of that artist, and be associated with what that artist stood for.  Did that artist apply for a degree there, work for it, and attend the graduation ceremony?  No they did not, they simply lived their life passionately and followed their dreams and mission on their own.  However, the dedication was recognized as equal to or greater than the effort that goes into getting a degree.  The degree (outcome) was a natural outcome of who they were already being. 

This applies to making art because sometimes we attach our self-worth to getting a certain achievement as an artist.  And if we don’t get it, we feel bad and unworthy.  The trick is in still going for what you’d like to achieve, but decreasing the importance of it as it relates to your self-worth as an artist.  You must believe that your art on its own, without any awards or validations, is worthy, beautiful, and important.  When you decrease the importance of these external validations, then you free up creative, pure energy in the studio so you are able to make work that is more free, creative, and risk-taking.

     The third thing that you can let go of in order to really see your creativity bloom is jealousy and comparison!  In this age of social media, it’s easy to compare our own work or our own talent with other people’s.  You can feel like you are never enough or always second best, like there’s always someone “better” than you out there.  The truth is, it’s not about being “better” or “worse” or who wins the game, but it’s about following your own path and expressing the greatest amount of beauty, creativity and emotion in your own work! 

Don’t get caught up in trying to become “better” than anyone else—the comparison trap is something you can never win.  Instead, see all other artists as collaborators and as beautiful candles lit from the same flame.  Another artist is not your competition—you are your only competition, and the way to an art career that is fulfilling and authentic is to follow your own inner creativity.  There’s a phrase I love which is “Stay in your own lane”.  It can sound limiting, but it’s actually quite freeing to give yourself permission to only measure yourself against yourself.  When you do that, you will make progress by leaps and bounds that will surprise you!

    So there you have it, three things to let go of in order to really blossom in your fullest creativity and let go of any mental weights that are bringing you down: let go of an attitude of victimization, reduce the importance of outcomes, and let go of any comparison of your art with anyone else’s.  

    I hope this helped you, and gives you more freedom and upliftment in the studio!  Now, if you’d like a very practical guide to selling the art you’re making in your studio, I just released a free 15 page guide: 30 days to 3k, the definitive guide to authentically selling your artwork online. I created this from my heart and it definitely works, because it’s the exact process I used to sell my artwork online to interested buyers, and I’m holding nothing back.   It’s totally FREE for you to download, go to the home page at www.thevisionaryartistssalon.com to download your free copy!

I also have a free facebook group you can join, I do lives there once a month, you can join that for free on the website as well—the link for that is on the home page as well.

And lastly for those of you who feel like you would like more personalized guidance in your art career, I have an intensive transformational course where you will work with me one on one called the Artist Soul Mastery Academy, which will empower you from the inside out to step into the artist you have always dreamed of being.

Does that sound like you? Apply for your free 30 minute explore call today.

Until next time, go forth and create!