Taking Action: Improving Our Methods
About a 5-6 minute read 🌙
Hello My Moons, This month's little artist's growth/advice post, also known as a Waxing Moon Session, is about taking action. I wanted to tell you what taking action, in regards to my art and career, has meant for me, and how I have learned, and am still learning, from my mistakes.
When we get so overwhelmed, especially when things in our art life or career do not seem to be going anywhere, I think it can be easy to fall into patterns of repetition where we repeat the same tasks and mistakes that also get us nowhere. Especially when we are focusing on “making it” or simply surviving. I made a list of some of the top things I currently use when I am taking action, and making changes within my art and career.
Not doing the same things over and over and expecting different results.
They say that doing the above is a sign of insanity. I am not sure what that says about me because I have been known to do that quite a bit 😅 I think it comes from a “Maybe I just need to keep at it and be patient” mentality. But that has not always served me well so I try to think:
- What things do I keep doing that are bringing in zero results? Those are the areas I should probably focus the majority of my energy on.
- What is actually working, what am I doing right in my career and how can I do it even better?
If I am in a bad place of overwhelm, I will also sometimes do the tasks that feel the easiest to handle first.
Trying new things, but using a certain amount of intention and planning.
-Taking the time to plan out new projects is so helpful in making them succeed. The amount of planning needed also might vary by person or project.
-While planning and goal setting is important, equally important is following through. Making plans can feel productive, but it is pretty unhelpful if you never work through said plans.
When it comes to art making however, I think we do need to leave room for totally wild and unplanned experimentation as I find it to be really freeing and healthy. The above is more in regard to actual career planning, or major progression within our work, hobby, or skill growth.
Failing, and assessing the failures BEFORE moving on to something new
Failure is super normal. I do not like to shy away from the word because it does not need to be negative. For me, a failure is when I set out to do something specific, and the results do not match my intention, in a negative way. Instead of simply moving on, I now try to assess what caused the failure. Say I tried to launch a new product and no one bought it. I would probably start assessing the situation more fully to discern the reason behind the lack of sales.
- Perhaps I did not promote them much on social media, or maybe I promoted them in the wrong way.
- Maybe, my presentation was lacking and I used bad lighting in my photos, or the photos themselves were blurry and uninspiring.
What can you assess within your own struggles? Be objective when assessing failure. It does not need to be personal. Although if mental health is a factor, be kind, and take that into consideration. It might mean you need to shift more focus onto that area which is just as valid.
Avoiding Overwhelm
I am not sure how to totally avoid overwhelm, and I think it varies from person to person, but for me, it has meant sorting my tasks, and issues into categories of most important, and least important. Instead of focusing on everything at once, I try to see what areas truly need the most of my energy, and what areas I can set aside a little bit, even if those areas also need work. If your house is on fire and one of your pipes is leaking, you are probably going to focus on saving the house first because the leaky pipes are the least of your problems. Prioritizing is such a key in progression.
Learning
None of us is born knowing how to make music, art, poetry, etc. Let alone how to run a business. Learning is HUGE. Make a conscious effort to learn in areas of weakness. It can be tough to make learning a priority but how else are we supposed to move forward? It is hard to make the time, but I am discovering that the time I make to actually learn in the areas where I struggle, saves me so much more time and energy in the long run.
And remember, in this day and age, there are a lot of options for cost effective learning. Numerous free videos and articles on the internet. It takes some time to seek them out, but they do exist and finding those places to learn can be worth setting time aside for :)
I am going to talk more on setting a schedule for learning and all its practicalities in the next month or so. In the meantime, be well!
~Aria
