Art Palaver Artist Marketing Resource » The Matrix

The Results From Your Actions Fuel Your Belief In Yourself

Daryle Dickens — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:44:07 +0000

You started by recognizing your potential to make a living as a full time artist. This potential caused you to take action. The actions you took started to produce results. And from those results you really begin to believe in yourself and your potential. The process has come full circle.

I think that belief is the most exciting part of this whole cycle. Belief is the part where you start to realize that you were not crazy thinking you had potential. Belief comes from making sales, being accepted to a show, being awarded a grant, or being featured in an article, just to name a few results. It comes from the results that reinforce the notion of your potential, solid outside validation that you are indeed a working artist.

It is important that when you get results that foster belief in yourself that you start the process over and once again look at your potential. Small victories hint at the potential of larger ones. You will see even more potential in yourself which will allow you take more and bigger action which will produce even better results than before, which will get you to an even stronger belief in yourself. A cycle of growth and goals begins.

I quickly created this crude diagram to help illustrate that cycle:

Told you it was crude, but hopefully you get the point. Just remember to look at your results and believe in yourself.

One last time…

Here we are again with one last film clip from The Matrix. This one makes its point in about 20 seconds. Our here Neo has been taught that no one can stand up to an “agent.” That when you see an agent all you can do is run because everyone who has ever fought an agent has died. In this scene Neo looks at his escape route and then remembers the actions and the results that got him to this point and he believes in himself enough to turn and fight the agent.

Click here if you don’t see a video player.

Remember these four steps:

Step 1: Recognize your potential.
Step 2: Take action.
Step 3: Learn from your results.
Step 4: Believe in yourself.

And…

You can make a living with your art!

The Results From Your Actions Fuel Your Belief In Yourself is a post from: Art Palaver The Artist Marketing Resource.

Potential Plus Action Produces Results

Daryle Dickens — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:25:15 +0000

After you’ve recognized your potential as an artist and that has sparked you to take action the next thing that will happen is you’ll start to see results. That is just how the universe works, actions always produce results. And this is when things can start to get exciting for you as an artist. For you see results bring all sorts of great things.

Before we go any further I will let you know there are “good” and “bad” results from your actions. But when you really think about it “bad” results are just lessons in how not to do something which is just as valuable and helps move you toward your goals as an artist. You could almost say there are no bad results. It is hard to know which Thomas Edison quote to use here because he has so many that apply. I like this one:

“Just because something doesn’t do what you planned it to do doesn’t mean it’s useless.” ~Edison

We have to talk about those undesired results because I am very aware that those negative results can become a great excuses to give up on your potential, to stop taking action, and find yourself back at zero. I hear the excuses all the time, “I’ve had a website for years and never sold one piece on it.” That statement is a reason to believe that art, especially your art, can not be sold online. That selling art online or anywhere is something other people do, not you. In that example the artist usually took one action, created a web site, and stopped there. Adopting the classic “build it and they will come attitude.” Since the site was built and the desired outcome was not achieved more actions must be taken.

You have to move your mind back to step one, potential, because your potential has not changed, it is still there. You know your potential is there but the actions you are taking is not bringing out that potential. Adjust and continue to take action and producing results. The most important thing is that you are getting results. Which is a lot more than you get if you’re still waiting to take action. Results become your guide, through them you learn what works, what gets your art sold, what to keep doing more of, and what to stop doing.

Results move your recognized potential toward realized potential.

The movie illustration continues…

Okay I saved this for the end because I know I may be testing my reader’s patience with using an old science fiction movie as an example to how you can make a living as an artist. Hang in there, this series is almost done. In this scene we pick up our hero, Neo, near the end of the film. Early on he realized his potential and began taking actions. At first small steps moving toward that potential Now he is taking bold and drastic actions and in this scene it gets mixed results. But overall it moves him closer to realizing his potential.

Use this link if you’re having trouble viewing the video.

Step 1: Recognize your potential.
Step 2: Take action.
Step 3: Learn from your results.

Potential Plus Action Produces Results is a post from: Art Palaver The Artist Marketing Resource.

Now Is The Time To Take Action With Your Art Career

Daryle Dickens — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 01:13:18 +0000

In my last post I talked about realizing your potential to make a living as an artist. Potential is something I believe all artists have and one artist left a comment that supports that, you should check it out. But potential is just the beginning, the first step. The second step is action. Once you’ve recognized your potential you then must take action even if you’re not confident of your potential. Have faith it is there (because it is) and let that be a call to action.

The action you take really depends on where you are at. I know many artists are creating work but have not shown it to anyone. If that is you now is the time to start sharing your work. If you are in a gallery or two but you are not happy with sales take action and look for new avenues to get your work moving. Been thinking about putting your work online but have not done it yet? What are you waiting for? Do it. Whoever you are, wherever you are there is an action waiting to be taking. It can be big or it can be small but what ever it is, you need make the leap from potential energy to kinetic energy.

More fun with movie clips.

I am going to stick with The Matrix for the movie illustration to try and show you the importance of action. The hero of the movie believes in the potential of something or someone out there but he can’t put his finger on it. Recognizing that potential he takes action and spends his nights searching for a person he believes can help him. So much so that he falls asleep at his computer while taking this action. But his actions still prove to be powerful.

Neo Takes Action

His action is small and I am sure most people would have told him he is wasting his time. But it is that tiny action that sets things in motion and changes his life forever. Eventually his actions cause his goal to come looking for him. For most of us action leads to truly recognizing our potential.

Potential is nothing without action. Recognize your potential and use it as a spring board to action. It is easy to use the excuse of “I don’t know what action to take,” as a reason to do nothing. If that is your thinking the action you need to talk to someone. Speak out loud where you are at, what you’ve done, what obstacles you are hitting, and through that conversation you will find your answer. Trust me. (If you have no one to talk to about this drop me a line, we’ll get it figured out.)

And the one thing you can always do not matter what is create. Whenever you are feeling stuck in your art career make art. You can never make too much art and you can never have too much practice. And as you work the process will help you know what actions to take beyond your studio because it will just reinforce that potential you know you have and that will give you the confidence you need to take action. Because I would venture a guess that most times we don’t know what actions to take it is because we are afraid to take the steps we need to take.

Step 1: Recognize your potential.
Step 2: Take action.

You can make a living with your art!

Now Is The Time To Take Action With Your Art Career is a post from: Art Palaver The Artist Marketing Resource.

Recognize Your Potential To Sell Your Art Online

Daryle Dickens — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:28:21 +0000

Fun with movie clips.

I’ve yet to use a movie clip to illustrate a point on Art Palaver but I thought I’d give it a try with this post. And why not use a movie that is full of life applicable illustrations, The Matrix. If you’re familiar with the movie you’ll quickly recognize this scene of Neo (Keanu Reeves) attempting his first gravity law breaking leap from one skyscraper to another:

Neo’s Potential

Click here if your reading this post in a place that does not show the video.

In the clip Neo is attempting something new and something he does not believe is possible even though he watches his teacher successfully make the jump. We all do this in life. We believe that a certain goal, task, or accomplishment is something that other people do, not us. This notion is what Colonel Potter would call “horse hockey.”

I am sure someone is already pointing out that Neo fell flat on the pavement, he failed. But before he fell to street he believed he had the potential to make the jump. Otherwise he never would have made the leap off such a high ledge. And if you watch it again you’ll notice even though he did make it to the other building he still made a jump that was higher and farther than humanly possible. And I believe in that leap and in that failure he got a more tangible taste of his potential.

Before you go jumping off some high ledges first recognize the potential you have to be a full time well fed artist. Own it. Believe it. Take it further and find that potential in you to be a very wealthy artist that collectors fight over. Even if you’re laughing at that thought I think you owe to yourself to at least acknowledge you have the potential. It is not impossible, it has happened to many artists who breathe the same air you do. Often in life if nothing else is there the potential always is.

If you’ve done this small, tiny, simple step of recognizing your potential you’re well on your way. But like Neo you have to start taking steps and eventually leaps. But before we get to that next step I really really want you to make that mental shift and truly believe you have the potential in you to be a full time artist. That is your homework. It is so very important which is why I keep saying it. Because so many of you tell me the opposite. Stop it.

You can make a living with your art!

Recognize Your Potential To Sell Your Art Online is a post from: Art Palaver The Artist Marketing Resource.