Season 5 – epiBLOG 2:
How many of you have ever been discouraged? Everybody should raise their hands, right?
I have to admit, some days are more exciting than others as an entrepreneurial artist… Some days things just seem to fall into place, while there are other days that seem as if you’re pushing a boulder up a steep incline covered in ice.
Today’s topic is on how to live in reality as an entrepreneurial artist.
Unfortunately, no one promised that this journey was going to be easy, but no one promised that it was going to be hard either. No one made any promises to you. Nevertheless, there are times when we live as if someone did promise us something.
We live in the world of “if we do the work, results will follow.”
“If we’re positive and believe, we will see the fruits of our labor.”
Speaking from experience, belief, effort/actions, and consistency do produce results. It’s not always the results that we want and it’s not always in the time frame that we would like to see these things materialize, but they do happen.
There are going to be days when you feel like nothing you do makes a difference. Feel the way you need to feel for the moment. Just remember what the reality of your life is. Deal with what is. Deal with the reality that’s in front of you and not your own expectations where we become victims to the word “should.”
For example, if you were expecting to sell your screenplay to a producer and it didn’t happen, you probably got disappointed, discouraged, or angry. However, if you take the time to actually look at the situation… the only thing that has actually happened is that you told a producer about a script that you have for sale and they chose not to buy it. That is the reality.
It’s what we think about the reality of our situations that usually causes us to get distracted from our goals and dreams. It’s not the actual situation itself.
Things happen. We interpret some of those things as “good,” some as “bad,” and others we’re simply indifferent about.
The reality is that there is work and reward in being an entrepreneurial artist. You can be the musician, the sculptor, the chef, the graphic designer, the fine artist, the writer, the game designer, the fashion designer, the interior designer… be who you want to be.
Just understand that there is a process in reaching the level of success that you’re seeking – whatever “success” is to you. There are going to be things that happen, situations that you find yourself in, and circumstances that occur. Because you’re human, you’re going to have some sort of emotional reaction to those things. What I’m suggesting to you is that when you’re ready, remove the emotion from events that have transpired that you deem as “negative.” Separate the existing variables and deal with the reality that is in front of you instead of focusing on what you feel you “should have” or how you feel things “should be.”
“Shoulding” yourself can be dangerous because you’re not dealing with reality. You’re angry and frustrated because your career isn’t where you feel it “should be.” You’re dealing with what you think “should” happen and confusing that “should” with your goals and dreams. This does get a little tricky because I’m not suggesting that you stop creating goals and stop dreaming. Live into your dreams and goals. I’m just advising you not to get so frustrated and angry with your current situation that you turn your focus on how life “should be” instead of focusing on the variables that are in front of you. It’s these variables (tools) that are at your disposal that you can actually use in order to create the future that you’re interested in living into.
The LESSON is to live in the present and to deal with the reality in front of you.
FUN ASSIGNMENT: Over the course of the next seven days, write down how often you’re focused on how things should be instead of dealing with reality. Create two columns – one for these experiences in your career as an artist and the other experiences in your personal life. After the seven days, review your list and look for areas where you can make different choices that will help to keep you on track towards your goals.
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