How to say Yes to your Art
Recently I encouraged you to sow a Mustdo Seed and plant just one hour of something that you really must do ( something that feeds your heart and pushes your interests or goals) into your diary first and work all your have to’s ( all the things that you have to do to keep life ticking along) around it.
This time, we’ll consider how you say Yes to that Mustdo Seed and start to nourish it by saying No to what doesn’t support it.
Say No to Say Yes - How it feels
Last Summer I said no to my main money makers that always make the season less enjoyable - summer schemes.
This may make me sound like a terrible person because we all know kids are wee darlings, especially 40 of them, but if I’m honest, summer schemes were my have to’s. They brought in easy money but never progressed my long-term vision. Instead, they just paid the bills and I never truly felt like I benefited the kids, I merely managed them.
As the season came around once again I decided no more. But as soon as I said no I was instantly thrown into an internal wobble - I was scared. All I could think of was what I was losing; the pound signs in my account, the regular summer income and the security of the bills paid.
But you know what, the very next day I received requests for portraits which exceeded the income from summer schemes and I was able to say Yes and take them all on because I now had the space for them.
And much more important, Portraits are must do’s for me. Each one is a journey to build a deeper relationship with my client and as a bonus they also improve my skills and I learn something new from each one.
From saying no to the scheme, I had not only gained creatively, but even financially - the very thing I was so scared of losing in the first place!
Why you should Say No
The truth is, it’s much easier to consider what we could lose than what we could gain, it’s literally hardwired into us. So be aware that you’ll hit resistance, wobble and want to retreat back to the comfort and safety of yes - that’s normal.
But what if we begin to work with our hardwiring and turn it to our advantage by asking ourselves ‘What will we lose if we don’t say no?’
And once you make the decision, done the hard work of saying No, pushed past resistance and you’re through to the other side, the next time you’re asked the question you’ll not even flinch in giving your answer because you’re considering things the other way around. You’re conscious of what you could be saying no to if you do say yes!
Consequently, this year, when I was asked to take a few weeks of schemes, there was no internal debate, no flinching and no resistance because I was too focused on saying Yes to my Must do - a Solo show.
So, what can you say no to for that hour to say yes to the Mustdo seed you planted? Don’t worry, it doesn’t need to be as drastic as what pays your bills. In fact; *Disclaimer - don’t do this at home, that’s super crazy!
Instead, what can you say no to that’s not serving you? Netflix, Social media, the sofa or the snooze button?
Studio Notes
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ForM is by far my favourite group exhibition of the year to visit and I am honoured to have been one of artists involved in it this year.
If you missed the exhibition, here’s a round up.