Feel The Pressure

Work harder! Learn marketing. Learn business concepts. Learn tax jargon for entrepreneurs. Create a detailed inventory list. And most of all - PAINT MORE - GET BETTER.

I had three days off last week to help myself "get better" but I didn't know where to start so I only got half a painting finished. Do you ever feel that everything you have to get done is so overwhelming that you wonder "will I enjoy this career if I have to do this all the time?". The more I learn about what I need to do to succeed as an artist, the more weary I get.

These fears and doubts are a part of starting your own business but guess what? There's help. Once you prioritize your tasks you can break those down even further (like setting those little goals I mentioned in "Dreams Come True"). I often have to remind myself of that. Even just writing the top paragraph gave me a list of topics to tackle.

For example, the statement "Learn marketing", is so broad and general that you need to ask yourself, "what about marketing do I need to learn?". I don't think a person who's never done marketing before could possibly answer that question, so why not ask some successful entrepreneurs you might know, or get a mentor, or buy a book, or sign up for some newsletters? Whatever you choose, it will take time and hard work. Even I have to remind myself of that. There's only as much pressure as you choose to put on yourself. So release the pressure by breaking down those high umbrella statements. This will help organize your schedule as to what you need to do first. I'm sure that once you're on schedule, your career will be enjoyable!

A good reference I've been using lately is a book by Chris Tyrell called "Artist Survival Skills", which is geared toward Canadian artists. I'd suggest finding a book like this to begin your studies as a successful entrepreneur in the art market. It covers main topics such as the ones listed in the beginning of this Blog post.
Happy Studying!