ACT ArtMatters!: Tapping Your Inner Strength
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Eyes tired? Listen to "Tapping Your Inner Strength"
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"When I hear somebody sigh that life is hard, I am always tempted to ask, 'Compared to what?'" - Sydney J. Harris
Life is unpredictable at the best of times. When good things happen to us, a parking ticket is no big deal. We feel like good people. We name our good fortune "luck" or the result of good planning and hard work.
When it is the worst of times, bad things that happen seem to blind-side us. The parking police are out to get us. We feel something is wrong with us, the other guy or "the system." We call our troubles bad luck or the result of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. We all come into this life with a reservoir of talents and inner strength. It would be bad news if we only used up what we came in with. The good news is that we can develop both our talents and our character.
It just takes the right approach to develop staying power to increase the good times and resilience to ride out the bad. This month I had the pleasure of meeting an artist who clearly knows this. One of my coaching clients Emily Van Cleve was in town to witness a very good thing - the graduations of her twin sons from Ph.D. programs. During the past 15 years, Emily has worked as a freelance writer for newspapers and magazines in the Santa Fe area. Emily has interviewed dozens of artists who earn a living from making art while enjoying rich personal lives. I asked Emily to share with you what she has learned from these successful artists... "Some of these artists began their art careers with ample savings in the bank. Others started on a shoestring. All of them tapped into their inner strength and followed their passions in order to become the successful artists they are today." Develop good work habits "Keeping regular studio hours, week after week, is a trait among successful artists. Most of the ones interviewed spend 35 to 45 hours a week creating art and additional hours marketing their work. Studio time is sacred and protected. Spouses, partners, children and friends visit when work is finished for the day." Persevere in the face of adversity "When an artist with two daughters needed to find work outside the home after her divorce, she put her dream of being a full-time artist on hold while she concentrated on supporting her family. She continued to paint whenever she could and to take classes that facilitated her growth and development as an artist. Persistence paid off. Today, she is a successful oil painter who also teaches workshops at several art schools. |