Believe in Your Success: The Non-Starving Artist

Started my morning unintentionally ruffling the negative mindsets of artists on Facebook who continue to believe that we are all starving artists and that success is a myth. I refuse to believe I will starve and not have the success I envision for my life. You hear that? I REFUSE. 

If you wake up every morning thinking your success is a myth and that whatever you do doesn't matter, your success won't ever exist for you because you're not looking at it from the right perspective. You've already decided that it isn't possible. People hate to hear that. I hated hearing it. I fought for my limitations. I argued that it wasn't possible. I dug a hole and threw myself in it every single day until I just got so tired of digging that same hole and throwing myself in it to wallow. Getting out of that hole might require lifestyle changes, therapy, cutting ties with certain people or activities... Etc. But you gotta do those things so you're not sitting in that same hole every day. You gotta decide that there's more to see and do outside of that hole you've comfortably dug for yourself for years. Sometimes I have bad days and crawl back in for a moment because life got too hard and too real for me. That's ok, too. We are human. But now I have learned, through therapy and changes, that I can crawl out. I can crawl out, stand up, and decide to do better for myself. 

But the truth is... Unless you are willing to decide that your success is possible and "inevitable" like Erica Wernick says, you'll never build up the courage to take those jumps and leaps of faith that are necessary in any career, not just the arts. Having the life you want for yourself involves many factors, some in your control and some not... But regardless of that... It also involves deciding that what you want is worth the faith and work that you put into it. You have to decide that for yourself. You have to wake up and say "I am worth it, and my dreams are worth it" and you have to walk "confidently in the direction of your dreams." (Henry David Thoreau).... And take no shit. Be willing to do what you need to do to make it work for you. Be willing to be open to your dreams maybe looking a bit different and even a bit BETTER than what you had hoped for. Be willing to grow. Be willing to expand. Be willing to be the best you that you can be. I'm introverted as hell, and I'm willing to make art to trek it all the way to NYC to have an exhibition to meet people I've never seen to sell work that I'm proud of. That is a horrifying and exciting and invigorating thought all at the same time. That mix of feelings... That's what success is. That's the piece of success I'm currently holding on to. That's me deciding that even though I am full of fear, I know that beyond that fear is the thing I want. Make friends with your fears!! One of my favorite sayings is "I might shit a brick if I do this!" It makes me laugh! It makes the fear funny. It makes me take the edge off so I can take a step towards what I want. 

Be willing to be the best you that you can be. It'll work.

"Fantasma" - Artist: Tania Pomales

SOLD: Private collection