Artrepreneur Success Rule #5/10
Rule #5: Keep Your Eyes Down
Any time I find myself feeling bad about my work or business, it’s because I’m falling into the comparison trap. I see another artist post something amazing and I think,”my work will never be that good.” Or, another artist hits a milestone on social media and I think, “I will never be that successful.” This kind of thinking is toxic. Bottom line - it’s just not productive. It keeps us from making our best work.
As artists, we have a responsibility to share our work. However, we do not have a responsibility to take in the work of other artists. I’m always trying to put lots of art out there, but I’m very selective about what enters my mind. It’s like a one way stream. We are content creators, but we do not need to consume the same amount we’re sharing.
This has always been my approach to social media. Social media can be good, but it can also be very bad. It depends on how you use it. If you’re using it to share your work and inspire others, you’re using it well. It can also be a great learning tool for your art and your business. However, if you’re using it to track what other artists are doing and comparing yourself accordingly, you’re misusing it. In this case, it might be time for a social media detox. I’ve done many of these, and it’s worked wonders for my art. I’m not big into social media as is, but I always take a break between Christmas and Thanksgiving, deleting all the the apps.
Another way social media can become toxic is if your work hinges on what others think. All that matters is how you feel about your work. If you find yourself creating art based on how many likes and follows you get, you’re not creating from a place of joy. You’re creating from a place of desperation, and that’s not how we make our best work. Popularity has nothing to do with how good your art is. You just need to be making the best art you possibly can, according to your standards. Forget about what other people think. You’re only competing against yourself.
While keeping our eyes down all the time sounds nice, we still need to find inspiration. No idea is original, so we can’t create in a vacuum. However, we can be mindful of where we pull inspiration from. Because the comparison trap is sticky, we need to protect ourselves from it. I try to pull inspiration from my life or from sources that aren’t art - like music, home decor and vintage photography. Using art as inspiration can unintentionally lead to copying and it can make you feel like your work doesn’t measure up. Our art is never going to look as good as the person we’re copying. We make our best art when staying true to ourselves. When I do use art as inspiration, I try to look at historic art that is very different from my own. I also try to use multiple sources of inspiration so it’s hard to tell where my ideas came from.
A good way to tell if a source of inspiration is helpful or hurtful is to focus on your internal feelings. If you look at something and you feel icky or jealous, look away or unfollow. These feelings manifest as low energy. However, if you look at something, get excited, and immediately want to get to your studio to, follow that thread. These are high energy feelings, and they are a good sign. You might find you get more excited about creative inspiration that is not similar to your own art. At least that’s how I feel. The artists who make work similar to yours will probably induce negative feelings.
This rule is all about protecting your inner artist and your creative energy. We make our best work creating from a place of joy, not defeat. The more you remain in this joyful state, the better your art will be and the more success you’ll experience as an artrepreneur.
Stay tuned for rule #6!