Are you waiting for your big break? What is the one big opportunity that you are waiting for? Is it that all important commission, your work being discovered by a major art magazine editor, a wealthy art collector finding your work irresistible or perhaps that oh so prestigious award?Big breaks are wonderful - but what are you doing while you wait? Are you continuing to stretch and grow? Are you creating and moving forward?
A downside to big breaks is that we don't know when they will happen. Waiting can have an adverse effect on our motivation level. The longer we wait, the greater the chance that we will allow discouragement and doubt to creep in. The antidote for this is to keep in mind that we don't need to passively wait for our big break. As I mentioned, big breaks are wonderful, but they aren't necessary. It is possible to achieve our dreams by just staying the course. The road to achieving our dreams is most often traveled one step at a time. By staying active and doing the work before us, we move closer and closer to realizing our goals. The good news is that by staying active and working while we wait, we actually increase the likelihood that we will get a big break! Either way we win.
Also, keep in mind that your work will continue after your big break. After winning that award, you will strive to win another one. After selling your art to a wealthy collector, you will want to paint even better paintings. Our successes are momentary. Once we have experienced one, we desire another accomplishment. Expect this and embrace this. It is what makes the journey interesting and exciting. There are always fresh challenges and opportunities just around the bend. So don't let waiting for your big chance to shine get you down. Make a decision to enjoy your journey and enjoy doing your work.
5 comments:
I read somewhere someone wishing to be a full time artist and a full time artist's response was - beware what you wish for.
I sometimes wonder if being discovered is a double edged sword. Once you start to sell do you stay with what you do because that is what you know sells or is the freedom of waiting for the big break better - where you can experiment and grow without worrying about sales.
It is so true - waiting can broaden to a bad blockade. and I think a blockade is as necessary as a spot on my nose. ;) - And I think the best art we can do is the art we do because we want to paint/draw/stich, whatever, and not the art for could-be-good-for-selling.
Thank you for these thoughts, Teresa.
Hi Anita, ah yes be careful what you wish for! I am sure lots of artists strive to find balance between what sells and experimenting with their work. It can be a tricky dance at times but it often seems to be part of the journey. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Martina. I agree, doing art simply for the love of it should always come first. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.
My most recent technical writing contract now over with successful project completion, I'm using the time to become more involved in art while looking for another full-time day job. Having until now contented myself with creating abstract artwork from photos taken beyond reality through the dark room of Photoshop, today I bought supplies for acrylic abstract art painting.
There's a one-day workshop at the end of the month. I hope they won't find me too difficult a student ... I've already envisioned my ideal painting and may have to fight a tendency of impatience at learning to crawl before running full sprint if the instructor strongly prefers that I paint from a predetermined subject of his choosing rather than from the finished product I already envision in my mind. What I'm hoping for is to learn the physical techniques to get a particular abstract image down onto the more concrete realm of canvas.
How exciting Country Dreaming! Congratulations on pursuing your artistic dreams...best of luck at the workshop! I hope you post your painting on your blog. :-)
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