Season 4 – epiBLOG 1:

Welcome to a brand new season of The UnCloseted Professor Blog! Celebrating the beginning of Season Four on the Fourth of July! Happy Independence Day to everyone!

Today Americans celebrate our freedom from being controlled by another. That freedom came at a price. People fought for it. They died for it. That made me start thinking about the freedom that we have as artists to create whatever life we would like to have for ourselves.

Today’s topic is to take advantage of the freedom to fully live into your career as an artist.

I know the American Dream may seem so far away for many people. Hell, for some people it seems like it will only remain a dream or some vision lodged within the subconscious mind.

As many obstacles as we have within our country with government, politics, race, sexism, and among several other inequities, we all have the ability – the freedom – to truly create the career that we choose to have for ourselves.

We all have the ability to fully live into our careers. What do I mean by “live into?”

I will use the analogy of getting into a pool on a glorious afternoon. One option is that you can choose to dip your big toe into the water to test it out, to see if you can bear experiencing the coldness of the water all over your body. A second option is to just place your legs on the side of the pool, while the rest of your body indulges in the warmth of the sun. A third option is to jump right in the pool or to walk into the pool from the steps, and to fully submerge your body into the chlorinated water.

Living into your career as an artist is like jumping into the pool and having your entire body experience all that the water has to offer. That is the freedom of living into your career. You’re not holding back; you’re just moving forward despite any discomforts you might experience along the way.

There are times when your focus is on everything except the very career that makes you happy. Maybe some of you have a day job, and so you allow the workload that comes with that day job to overshadow your artistic endeavors. You come home tired from work, and instead of writing, practicing that song, sculpting, experimenting with a new recipe, or painting, you decide to fall asleep in front of the television as the digital device stares back at you NOT pursuing what is important to you.

You can’t always be fortunate enough to wait for a spark of inspiration. There are times when you have to plan time in your schedule to “live into” your career. You choose a block of time in your schedule to paint, cook, design, or write. And you don’t let anything or anyone interfere with that block of time. You have to treat that special time with your art as being equally as important as your work, your relationship, your studies, or whatever you consider to be meaningful in your life.

If you don’t take your art this seriously, who will?

The freedom to live into your art is not something you have to die for, but it is something that you have to fight for, and it doesn’t have to be a negative experience. Fighting for what is important to you with sincere passion, conviction, and perseverance is honorable.

Imagine where you would be in your career if you allowed yourself the freedom to fully follow what you wanted to, as opposed to making excuses and reasons why you can’t really have what you want.

Today’s LESSON is to not let the obstacles and distractions of life overshadow your dreams and goals.

FUN ASSIGNMENT: Make a list of actions that you can take within the next 5 days that would move your art career to another level. Don’t focus on the results and don’t focus on disappointments. Focus on creating a list, and following through with those actions within the next 5 days.

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