I need to Get art done and Finish That Project!

Some artists start a ton of projects and rarely finish any. What’s up with that? A lot of different things could be happening. Artists Block: First, there’s the fear factor. I’m not talking about a TV program where they eat nasty things. The fear is that if I call it “done” someone will tell me it isn’t good enough.

Secondly, things get stuck because the artist knows something internally. They haven’t yet expressed the idea or feeling their work needs to convey.They need to grow in some area, possibly skill, to do what the piece requires. Sometimes this is legitimate, but other times it cycles back around to fear.

It’s always nice when the work is sold before it’s complete, but that doesn’t happen all the time! When it is sold before it is complete, (a commission) that brings its own whole set of issues. I’ve coached various artists who dread their commissions because the satisfaction of the customer is a requisite for completion. The challenge is to find clients who will let you do exactly what you do best. Still, they will always give you parameters. If you don’t like that, maybe you shouldn’t take commissions!

Surprise! Even commissions can be the cause of artists block!

, there are many reasons why artists don’t complete projects and I believe one of them is fear. I’m passionate about helping people identify what they are afraid of so they can move forward. Yeah. The future is unknown. So what are you gonna do about it?!

The Completion phase can happen very abruptly and result in a let-down. All this energy has been expended and now you’re exhausted. In the Artists Growth Cycle, (my book coming soon!) the next phase is Down Time. One last reason people might not ever get to Completion is because they didn’t take that Down Time the last time around! Sometimes the best way to get something done is to make sure you take breaks!

 If you’re still wondering: How do I Get past Artists Block? Give me a buzz and I’ll be glad to schedule your complimentary 30 minute coaching session!

I have trouble going into bookstores because I want to be an erudite: someone who is constantly curious, voraciously reading, interested in a broad variety of topics. The trouble with bookstores is that I have to buy a book. My wife teases me about how light from my little lamp is all but blocked by the stacks of books on my bed stand, which makes it hard to read!

We have to get past the point of reading “for a class.” After all, look what we’re missing: While reading C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series to my children I noticed mention of Bacchus. Less than a century after Lewis wrote these books, Greek mythology is no longer taught in schools. I only know about Bacchus from pictures of Michelangelo’s delirious sculpture. Reading widely expands your frame of reference and prepares you for the unexpected – in ways we’ll never be able to predict. This wasn’t articulated in my mind so sharply until recently, as I’ve read The Black Swan (not to be confused with the movie) by contemporary philosopher/poet Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Another book I recently finished reading is On Writing, by Stephen King. King points out that one of the best things a writer can do to improve is to read – a lot. New ideas are a cornerstone for all new art.

New ideas are essential tools for artistic growth, and they are most easily found in BOOKS! For those who want to be growing as artists, reading is the place to start!

 While musicians expose themselves to new music, and painters to new paintings, we all need to read! Education begins at school, but doesn’t end there!

At a tiny used bookstore in South Bend a few months ago I was pleased to see a few teenage boys excitedly browsing the shelves. It gave me hope. I’m also hopeful when I see our elders reading something new and stretching their minds. Artists and “non-artists” alike: Challenge yourself to read something outside your comfort zone! Let’s get growing as artists!

 Adam Fleming is a life coach and writer whose most recent used book purchase is “The Book of the Dun Cow” by Walter Wangerin Jr.Or at least it was when we posted this. Many more books to come…

Well, you know, we all want to change our lives…

Between 90 and 97% of us fail in our New Year’s Resolutions, right about now, 4 weeks after New Year’s Day.  Let’s not get too hung up about the 90% who fail, but rather, take a look at what it is that the 3 to 10% who succeed are doing.

Change is harder than remaining the same.  Without support, discouragement strikes in roughly 28 days, but change takes six weeks to establish.  In other words, if we can find a way to push through for only 14 more days, we can be winners.  14 little days, and yet most of us don’t make it.

You might think “Accountability” is a dirty word, but it’s really the top reason anyone succeeds at anything.  They put some kind of skin in the game, with someone they respect who will not mince words if necessary. 

Someone recently told my wife that they are trying to “learn to self-coach.”  Don’t kid yourself.  This is an Arts newsletter, so I’ll normally eschew sports analogies, but where would Michael Jordan be without Phil Jackson?  Why do major sporting organizations pay someone millions of dollars to coach people who are already experts in their field?

I ran into a guy who showed me his business plan for 2011 and his “goal” was to gross $10 mil and net $7 mil.  This wouldn’t be a problem if he grossed $8 mil last year – but he was starting from a dead standstill; he can’t afford his own lunch.  “I shoot for the moon and hit the stars,” he said, but I suspect he’ll hit the ground first, flat on his face.

I believe in coaching people to set very attainable goals.  It’s easier to achieve something small and then set your sights higher than to set them too high and get discouraged.

I recently chatted with a fellow writer who said he once moved away from Indiana to a remote location for a few years.  His goal was to find a place of solitude and write that novel he’s always dreamed of writing, perhaps that great first work that kicks off a career.  But, he admitted, once he got there he was unable to write for fear that it would not be good enough.  We’ve all been there; I know I have.  My friend’s story is tragic.  “You’re a better writer than I am!” I cried, “But how will anyone ever know it if you don’t write?”

Madeline L’Engle, in Walking on Water, quotes Jean Rhys: “All of writing is a huge lake.  There are great rivers that feed the lake, like Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky.  And there are mere trickles, like Jean Rhys.  All that matters is feeding the lake.”

And so, as I put the finishing touches on the third draft of my first novel over the next three months and (gulp) begin to seek representation by an agent, I’m confronted by the same fears we all have.  Will I measure up? 

But does it matter what happens to me?  Not really.  What matters, according to Rhys, is feeding the lake.   I stress this with all the artists I coach.   The first roadblock to making good art is to get past this unfortunate idea that you and your work should be compared against anyone else.  That idea is crushing our ability to share!  Isn’t it time for you to swallow your pride, which was damaged when some critic said you weren’t good enough?  It’s time to stop watching TV (or youtube vids, depending on your generation) and go paint the best painting or write the best song you can today; stay focused on what you can contribute, not how you won’t be as good as your idols.