This post is kind of a confessional. I haven’t kept up with my own intention of following the Artist’s Way program one chapter per week for the full twelve weeks. I’ve taken 4 weeks to do what should have taken 2 weeks.
So, over the last few weeks I’ve been somewhat derailed as far as Artist’s Way goes… the main de-railer, or distraction, was taking part in a local Art Festival, which was over 10 days out of my ‘normal’ schedule, and totally outside of most things I do in an average week. It also wasn’t exactly what I expected, and my inner voice had suggested it would be so – there’s that intuition I need to learn to listen to more often. We had to man the exhibition ourselves and the show was in a town quite far away, so it was very time-intensive. Bla, bla, bla – sound like excuses to me.
But as far as creative recovery or whatever term you might give The Artist’s Way, actually this derailing experience was good in several ways and this is what I’ve achieved in the last few weeks;
- I took a Risk – I’ve now shown my work in a public exhibition for the First Time since my MA (or more significantly, since becoming a parent almost 7 years ago) Woo-hoo!
- I allowed myself the Luxury of spending time with other artists
- I looked at others’ artworks
- I looked back at a lot of my own artwork, pulling out an Abundance of good drawings and work from year’s ago
- I thought about the ‘professional’ reality of being an artist and what that means to me right now at this moment in my life
- I sold two drawings (woo-hoo again!)
- After listening to some feedback, I changed my art website to focus it more on my artwork, so that it’s less confusing for visitors, moving my art coaching across to Room on the Edge. I prefer it.
- My Art+Coaching ‘follow your bliss/Heroine’s Journey’ business was selected as one of 30 (out of over 300) to be a guinea pig/case study for Chris Guillebeau’s EPK – Empire Building Kit – a new program he’s writing where you consistently take at least one action per day towards growing your business and making it a Success.
- I spent more time on my own artwork and the promotion of it than on my ‘normal’ coaching business
- Taken on more clients – true Abundance – I coached a photographer and a mixed media artist and was buzzing after their calls – I love this work!
- I picked up some financial spreadsheets that I’d started and have started paying my money more attention and in a much more positive way than before.
- Another Luxury – I treated myself to two books I’ve wanted for ages, both relevant to my art practice; “Seven Days in the Art World” by Sarah Thornton and Barbara Stanny’s “Prince Charming isn’t Coming”. It felt Abundant, empowering and totally wicked (in a good sense) when the package arrived.
- I started working with a coach, coaching me on my businesses – which is why all my interviews for Room on the Edge are backing up in a queue as I’ve been totally reevaluating how I focus my energy and time. But a new Connection is born…
So, although the feeling I have is that everything kind of went haywire and I couldn’t keep up with my own ‘normal’ schedule, in relation to the two actual chapters of The Artist’s Way, there’s much I feel good about – Abundance; The Great Creator, Luxury and Money Madness and Connection; Listening, Perfectionism, Risk, and Jealousy.
This month I’ve gone off-schedule, published fewer blog posts, stacked up interviews and taken a long time to turn them around.. etc etc.
So it goes.
Here I go then, simply picking up and keeping it going…
How do you feel when you go off-base?
Do you berate yourself and give yourself a hard time?
Do you quit?
Do you work twice as hard later to catch up?
Do you struggle on through regardless?
What are your biggest challenges at times like these and what strategies do you use to keep going or get back on track?
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