I resonate with this too. I honestly felt I had to do absolutely everything that came my way to make my art a business and that included being consistent with posts, etc. It has completely burned me out and now I am doing a total reset and trying to build trust that I can do what brings me joy, even in my marketing. It was the perfect reinforcement to read this.
I love both of your ideas for additions to the subscription...honestly either one would be wonderful!
Thank you so much for the feedback!! Maybe I should alternate…..?
I hear you about the burnout! I’ve been there too, catering for all the things we think we must do ending up not doing art but just trying to “manage” until the point that we don’t manage anything. Sending you creative energy 💝
Yes yes yes, exactly…not making artwork and really managing much at all. Sigh. It’s been a major reset for me.
Actually, I love that idea…to alternate. They can be easily scheduled separately. It might be a good test to see how each idea resonates with the group too.
My relationship with consistency is on-off (sometimes i become very active in creating a series of paintings, then there are times when i'm not in the mood to be very active). Then there are times when i pursue an idea instead of art making. Although there are times when i'm totally OK with not being consistent, most of the time i tell myself: " YOU HAVE TO SPEND SOME TIME MAKING ART EVERY DAY. THAT'S CALLED PRODUCTIVITY !!!".
It’s interesting the categorization of ideas vs art, where I consider the entire thing - the making - the creativity - to be the art practise. So what it is doesn’t matter. And sometimes it can even be to FUEL ideas like reading ✨
Elin, by your replies, you give me "Ha! Haven't looked at it that way before" moments and i thank you for that. I hope i can one day look at art making like you said.
Oh, how I do resonate with this. Being consistent has been a challenge for me. I have absolutely been in the mindset of needing to write/create art for others instead of wanting to do those things for myself. It certainly has taken the joy away a bit and has felt like a chore. I think that treating the act of creating as a business has been my downfall.
Thank you for writing this post. It’s exactly what I needed to read today. I have some changes to make to find that joy again. 🧡
Thank YOU for being here reading it 🙏🏼 despite having been at this for soon a decade I need to constantly remind myself this through the seasons too. Cheering you on ✨
I find it motivating to set up goals for consistency when it's something I want to do, like write/edit. But I find those goals kind of irrelevant when it's something I don't want to do or don't think I'm good at, like posting on notes 4 times a day. I still won't do it long-term.
I find that it helps me a lot if instead of saying, "I have to" I say, "I get to." It just now occurred to me to use that term towards something like posting notes, but "I get to tell people my thoughts" is sort of appealing. I think the problem there is that I don't feel like I actually have that freedom. There's either always someone around to shut it down or nobody sees it or cares.
There are so many good points in your article! I hear your gotta be consistent ALL the time and I find it stifling. But doing the thing you love because ‘you’ want to and feel compelled to is so difficult. And then that energy you get from creating makes you want o do more and that is consistency but from such a different approach. This is gold! It’s got my mind ticking away!
Yay I’m so glad you came to read at the good moment! This mindset shift has done wonders for me too, which is why I felt compelled to write it 🙏🏼 much business advice does little but deplete the artist soul so we need to try and find ways to turn the cake around to fit our work too 🥰
I don't like the word "consistency" anymore. Because I have done what many gurus has said about it and grow. But for me it has not worked at all, ahahha
But also "You need to draw every day to get better, consistency". Naaa, turning stuff into a must, will kill it.
I think the difficult part about advice in any form is to recognize for what type of person it fits and doesn’t. Especially as artists we tend to have very different ways of seeing things and our brains operate in various ways apart from the norm which is probably why the generic advices depletes more the fuels :)
This makes so much sense. I guess how I struggle with consistency is I don't produce work as fast as I did in my younger artistic days. I was a machine. Inspiration poured out my fingertips, I couldn't create fast enough. Now I appreciate the slowness of creating.
This is a very valid point and thanks for bringing that up! Consistency to me doesn’t mean a certain amount (I was also massively more productive before kids….), but more so the little consistent efforts here and there. The key being to tinker a little frequently. But whether it takes a long time to complete or not is another thing, what do you think? 🥰🙏🏼
I agree to this wholeheartedly! For a while I was trying to be consistent on social media while trying to build a writing career (and a “real job”) and I I burnt out so badly that I hadn’t picked up my writing in almost a decade.
Now I’m excited about writing again because I see people enjoying it and I want to give them more to enjoy. I want to see where this story is going myself (I’m in round 3 of the same story)
I want to write it because I want to share it. It’s all about what I want now versus what I think others want
I was thinking about this over the weekend, so this came at a perfect time!
Consistency for me, especially with the things I love, has never been difficult.
I've been writing for as long as I can remember and I've cultivated my joy in that.
Being consistent with the challenging things is what I'm working on. Especially, the things that are uncomfortable but I know would yield personal growth for me in the right direction.
The tension between doing it for oneself and simultaneously for a specified audience is challenging!
Indeed! 🙏🏼💕
I resonate with this too. I honestly felt I had to do absolutely everything that came my way to make my art a business and that included being consistent with posts, etc. It has completely burned me out and now I am doing a total reset and trying to build trust that I can do what brings me joy, even in my marketing. It was the perfect reinforcement to read this.
I love both of your ideas for additions to the subscription...honestly either one would be wonderful!
Thank you so much for the feedback!! Maybe I should alternate…..?
I hear you about the burnout! I’ve been there too, catering for all the things we think we must do ending up not doing art but just trying to “manage” until the point that we don’t manage anything. Sending you creative energy 💝
Yes yes yes, exactly…not making artwork and really managing much at all. Sigh. It’s been a major reset for me.
Actually, I love that idea…to alternate. They can be easily scheduled separately. It might be a good test to see how each idea resonates with the group too.
Fabulous try it ✨😍
My relationship with consistency is on-off (sometimes i become very active in creating a series of paintings, then there are times when i'm not in the mood to be very active). Then there are times when i pursue an idea instead of art making. Although there are times when i'm totally OK with not being consistent, most of the time i tell myself: " YOU HAVE TO SPEND SOME TIME MAKING ART EVERY DAY. THAT'S CALLED PRODUCTIVITY !!!".
It’s interesting the categorization of ideas vs art, where I consider the entire thing - the making - the creativity - to be the art practise. So what it is doesn’t matter. And sometimes it can even be to FUEL ideas like reading ✨
Elin, by your replies, you give me "Ha! Haven't looked at it that way before" moments and i thank you for that. I hope i can one day look at art making like you said.
I’m so glad Negar 🥰🙏🏼
😉❤️
There is NOTHING negative in being consistent or creating what is your performance...
I agree 💯
Oh, how I do resonate with this. Being consistent has been a challenge for me. I have absolutely been in the mindset of needing to write/create art for others instead of wanting to do those things for myself. It certainly has taken the joy away a bit and has felt like a chore. I think that treating the act of creating as a business has been my downfall.
Thank you for writing this post. It’s exactly what I needed to read today. I have some changes to make to find that joy again. 🧡
Thank YOU for being here reading it 🙏🏼 despite having been at this for soon a decade I need to constantly remind myself this through the seasons too. Cheering you on ✨
Yes! The proper motivation is everything. It’s like my fuel for consistency. You explained it so well 💛
Thank you Lolly! I’m so glad🙏🏼
I find it motivating to set up goals for consistency when it's something I want to do, like write/edit. But I find those goals kind of irrelevant when it's something I don't want to do or don't think I'm good at, like posting on notes 4 times a day. I still won't do it long-term.
I find that it helps me a lot if instead of saying, "I have to" I say, "I get to." It just now occurred to me to use that term towards something like posting notes, but "I get to tell people my thoughts" is sort of appealing. I think the problem there is that I don't feel like I actually have that freedom. There's either always someone around to shut it down or nobody sees it or cares.
Yes the rephrase to get to is SO powerful 💝
There are so many good points in your article! I hear your gotta be consistent ALL the time and I find it stifling. But doing the thing you love because ‘you’ want to and feel compelled to is so difficult. And then that energy you get from creating makes you want o do more and that is consistency but from such a different approach. This is gold! It’s got my mind ticking away!
Yay I’m so glad you came to read at the good moment! This mindset shift has done wonders for me too, which is why I felt compelled to write it 🙏🏼 much business advice does little but deplete the artist soul so we need to try and find ways to turn the cake around to fit our work too 🥰
Yes to all of this!! I’ve never put it into words, but that’s how I’ve been able to show up consistently AND ENJOY IT!
And for your question, I think a discussion topic to chat about sounds interesting. ☺️
Yay thanks Mika!! It’s a constant dance finding how to do the work we love in ways that we keep loving it 🙏🏼
I don't like the word "consistency" anymore. Because I have done what many gurus has said about it and grow. But for me it has not worked at all, ahahha
But also "You need to draw every day to get better, consistency". Naaa, turning stuff into a must, will kill it.
I think the difficult part about advice in any form is to recognize for what type of person it fits and doesn’t. Especially as artists we tend to have very different ways of seeing things and our brains operate in various ways apart from the norm which is probably why the generic advices depletes more the fuels :)
This makes so much sense. I guess how I struggle with consistency is I don't produce work as fast as I did in my younger artistic days. I was a machine. Inspiration poured out my fingertips, I couldn't create fast enough. Now I appreciate the slowness of creating.
This is a very valid point and thanks for bringing that up! Consistency to me doesn’t mean a certain amount (I was also massively more productive before kids….), but more so the little consistent efforts here and there. The key being to tinker a little frequently. But whether it takes a long time to complete or not is another thing, what do you think? 🥰🙏🏼
yes absolutely! Tend to your art like a garden, keep up with the beauty of creating, even if you never invite anyone over.
I agree to this wholeheartedly! For a while I was trying to be consistent on social media while trying to build a writing career (and a “real job”) and I I burnt out so badly that I hadn’t picked up my writing in almost a decade.
Now I’m excited about writing again because I see people enjoying it and I want to give them more to enjoy. I want to see where this story is going myself (I’m in round 3 of the same story)
I want to write it because I want to share it. It’s all about what I want now versus what I think others want
So glad you’ve found your way back! The burnout can be so brutal 🙏🏼 you’ve got this 💖
I was thinking about this over the weekend, so this came at a perfect time!
Consistency for me, especially with the things I love, has never been difficult.
I've been writing for as long as I can remember and I've cultivated my joy in that.
Being consistent with the challenging things is what I'm working on. Especially, the things that are uncomfortable but I know would yield personal growth for me in the right direction.
Definitely! Not everything will be a dance on roses, but as you say when you know consistency with something will benefit you….. ✨💝
Amen!
🙏🏼💖