We’ve been hearing from many of you that you are struggling to know where to focus your energy right now given that there is so much uncertainty and no clear decision as to when (or if) normalcy within the art world will resume.
We thought we’d share with you 5-ways that you can keep the fires burning and make sure that you emerge from this healthy and creative.
1. Get your s**t together
What better time than the present to get yourself organized. If you don’t have one, now would be a great time to set up an inventory, catalog, or archiving system where you record all of the relevant data pertinent to each piece of art you have created. While this may sound like a tedious task, this can serve you tremendously as you grow and scale your art business. Be sure to track dimensions, materials, pricing, and number editions.
2. Expand your horizons
Whether you dust off that book you’ve been meaning to read, listen to a podcast or, take an online course, this is a great time to invest in your self and your future. I recently revisited the book, ‘The Artists Way’ which offers some incredible exercises that truly challenge you to step out of your comfort zone. If you’re looking for a great podcast, I would be remiss if I did not recommend our very own, Smart Art Business 🙂 Others I love include Debbie Milman’s ‘Design Matters’ and Russell Brand’s ‘Under the Skin’ both offer insightful and informative conversations with some of the best thinkers and makers of our time.
3. Build new (healthy) habits
They say it takes 21 days of action for something to become habitual. Consider a daily creative challenge or painting exercise. Perhaps, stretch yourself out of your comfort zone and try your hand at a new medium.
4. Explore a new social platform
There’s no time like the present to educate and inform yourself of the latest digital resources available to us as art business owners. Whether it’s mastering the mysteries of the Instagram algorithm, investigating the powers of Linkedin or jumping on the TikTok bandwagon, there is always more that we can be doing online to expand our reach and grow our collector base. Pick one and go to town!
5. Allow yourself the time to become
In the words of the author, Glennon Doyle, “there are times for creating and times for becoming the person who will create the next thing. For many of us, this is a becoming time. Rest and Become.” Go easy on yourself, you do not need to create the next Mona Lisa during this time. Take some time to just be you. Beautiful, creative, wonderful you. And, remember, like everything in life, this too shall pass.
