Clarity, direction, and purpose
Doesn't that sound awesome?
If you have followed and read my posts in the last 6 months or if you’ve been a follower for even longer you KNOW I have tried a lot of things in my quest to figure out what I want to do with my art.
One month you will read all about how I think I should go all in on children’s books and I pivot and spend all my time in this one area. Another month, I’ve decided I just have to find an agent and I spent months curating my portfolio, pitching, and looking for representation. Another time I design an entire greeting card collection and a catalog because I am going to go into wholesale. Each decision at the time, feels like the right decision. But it doesn’t last.
Each time I’ve learned about myself, my likes and dislikes, and a little glimmer of clarity or direction. When I go all in on an idea I see it through. I didn’t build a Spoonflower shop with 1400 designs on a whim. I dedicate myself to learning a craft, and seeing it through. But I can see how it looks from the outside when you aren’t there for the daily process, reflections, and outcomes. You are getting the highlight reel or the big picture points and you aren’t experiencing all that goes into these decisions.
Which brings me to this post. I think these ‘pivots’ or small decisions are necessary to help us find clarity, direction, and purpose. Because each of these small decisions teach us what we like to do and what we don’t like. We get a little more aligned with our true selves if we are really listening. And just because an aspect of something resonates with us, it doesn’t mean it’s the THING that’s really going to click this time. I think that purpose is able to be discovered in the process. I think when that falls into place after lots of trial and error, we strip away the masks and the ways we THOUGHT we were supposed to be or behave. We can get down to the root of ourselves, our wants and desires, and be honest.
If I’m truly honest, some of the art spaces I spent time in sounded like a good idea because someone else made it look good. Someone else’s story, or roadmap looked inviting or doable. Not actually because it was something I REALLY wanted to do. This happens a lot in the art space with courses and promises from successful creators.
Another bit of honesty, some of the art spaces I spent time in sounded like a good idea because I was good at it. But just because I CAN also doesn’t mean I should.
A last vulnerable piece of honesty? Some of the art spaces I spent time in were to make myself feel good about myself. To get the praise, the accolades, or the attention. It isn’t bad to want recognition and awards, but if its the only reason for doing a thing, its not enough to sustain the project.
In conclusion, I’ve been doing some serious soul searching to really find a way to align my art practice with my over all purpose with a clear direction. When you set out on this art journey there are a million different directions to go from surface patterns, products, books, galleries, markets, and more. There are things you have to work on as an artist to develop your skills, style, and connections. All of these factors can still lead you in many different directions. Just as there are many different styles of artists and types of business, we are all unique and we all have to find our THING that gives us purpose and direction.
Here are a few questions I’ve asked myself recently to help me figure this out:
When I look at my future self, what do I want to see? In my art business, in my family, in my health? Am I taking steps toward those things now?
What do I want my daily life hustle to be? How do I want to spend my day? Am I doing anything right now that is getting in the way of that? What can I change to live the life I want now?
What types of art do I love to do? What are the causes or things I’m really passionate about? IS there a way to put these together some way?
What types of things do I hate to do? Do i HAVE to do these things or can I outsource or change this in any way? IS there a way to make it better?
What things can I live with? What things MUST change? What can I do today to make things better for myself, my health, or my family?
I hope these help and I look forward to sharing what I’ve learned from this process next time! All the best, Stacie