Season 5 – epiBLOG 16:
No, I’m not advising you to drown your sorrows in chocolate minis. Although, that is sometimes very enjoyable. However, this post is about so much more.
How do we handle those moments when we honestly feel like anything we do isn’t going to equate to what we want?
Come on… how often do you have those moments? Be honest. Two to three times a week? A month?
Those moments are tough. They are moments of discouragement. These moments often surface in the form of “being jaded,” “angry,” “annoyed,” or my all-time favorite word to be called from a person who is in a good mood when I’m in a funk, “negative?”
Annoying!
Do you know how often I get discouraged in a month? Too many times to even count.
Today’s topic is on actions you can take when you find yourself in a “not-so-good space” as you are actively pursuing your career as an entrepreneurial artist.
Being an artist in and of itself is easy. When you create, you’re using the talents you were born with. The talent that your Maker so graciously gave you for just existing. Easy, right?
The challenging part evolves when you not only choose to create art and when you choose to be who you are at your core, but when you choose to make a living as an artist.
If you love cooking and are a chef, creating new recipes or blending old ones probably exhilarates you. If you’re a singer, you more than likely get lost in a song that you’re singing because you don’t know where the music begins and where you end. You feel connected and alive.
When you first choose to actively pursue your artistic career to make a living, it simply sounds sexy, alluring. People are secretly jealous of you because they wish they had the nerve to do it. And you’re proud of yourself for being one of the few that have it.
The idea of making money doing what you love – who wouldn’t love that?
The reality is that when you choose to be an entrepreneurial artist, you are choosing entrepreneurship. You’re promising others products, services, or some sort of solution to their problem or craving.
Building a successful business takes the time that it takes. I’m not going to tell you that it’s going to take a long time or a short time. That it’s easy or hard. Length and level of difficulty are relative depending on who you ask. Through the process of building, you’re learning what not to do and what works. That process literally takes the time that it takes.
Nevertheless, along the way, you experience feelings that are not conducive to success, but they are your feelings. I’m not asking you to deny them. Just acknowledge them, and when you’re ready to pull yourself out of any feelings that aren’t helping you to move forward, try applying some of the actions below.
4 ACTIONS TO TAKE WHEN YOU’RE IN A CAREER FUNK:
- Step away from your work and go do something in nature. This could literally be a trip to a beach, a hiking trail, going to a park, or sitting outside in your backyard if you find it to be relaxing. Sometimes you need to simply unplug from what you might’ve created as your daily grind. Relax and take in what life has to offer. When I’m feeling overwhelmed, I go into my backyard. I find the green trees “against” the blue sky to be gorgeous.
- Read a self-help book that you’ve read before that you know is great at recharging your mind and spirit. Some of my favorite books are Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and The Success Principles by Jack Canfield.
- Watch a movie that always gets you pumped for success. I’m a little bias regarding this option since my background is in filmmaking, but it’s so true. An inspirational movie can pull you out of a funk. My second all-time favorite movie after A Beautiful Mind is The Pursuit of Happyness (spelled incorrectly on purpose). The challenges that Will Smith’s character had to overcome are inspiring – especially since that movie was based on a true story. This film causes me to tear up at the very end every time. It’s powerful. It reminds me of the strength of the human spirit and what we are all capable of.
- Do something where you are reaching out to new people. This could be through social media, through attending a networking event, or through hanging out with friends at a social event where you can meet new people. Sincerely seeking to discover the beauty, triumph, and obstacles that are currently being worked through by others will not only give you perspective on your own life, but will take your mind off of your own problems momentarily. Take the time to simply “be” in someone else’s world, and discover new possibilities.
Today’s LESSON is to accept your feelings for what they are when you experience them, but continuously take actions that keep you moving forward.
FUN ASSIGNNMENT: The next time you find yourself in a “not-so-good space,” apply one of the above four actions. Write down a list of all of what you’re feeling before you apply the action and then write down a list of how you feel after you apply the action.
Please contact Nitara Osbourne if you’re a full time artist, and would like to be interviewed in The UnCloseted Professor Blog or if you would like help developing your life story into a non-fiction book or movie script. InfiniteWriterAgency@gmail.com.
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