The Artist Mentality
Some time ago, I was interviewed on a podcast. Well…it’s not actually a podcast; it’s a digital space where young entrepreneurs get interviewed by a host. This is how the young man who reached out to me attempted to explain this new movement he was launching. He didn’t yet narrow down the fine details but he knew it had something to do with entrepreneurship, the creative industry and creating content.
I was confused.
But since my entire mission in life is to help other artists create/find sustainable income revenues through their creative pursuits, I always try to support and encourage others to pursue their dreams. Because I believe that even though it may seem wacky now, it could very well turn out to be a success in the future.
So, we did the interview, filmed the content, he added me to the group chat. Then I never heard from him again. That was a couple of months ago.
Excuses, Excuses
I have countless stories like that, where people come to me with brilliant ideas, make a few steps forward and then I never hear from them again.
Their reasons for falling off on that once passionate project include:
- I’m dealing with some stuff with my family
- I got sick
- I got really busy
- School is crazy right now
Sometimes, these excuses are warranted. No one is going to blame you if you really got sick (and no I’m not talking about a minor cold) or you really are dealing with some major changes in your family.
Life be lifing sometimes.
However, 95% of the time the reasons why people give up on their creative/business pursuits is because they’ve hit a wall.
The bubbly pretty amazing idea isn’t so easily achievable so they make an excuse (for now) and place the idea back on the shelf where it came from.
Artist Mentality
Some people call this Shiny New Toy Syndrome but I call this the ‘Artist Mentality’.
Cards on the table, I have Artist Mentality as well. After all, I’m only human supposedly. I’ve started and failed countless projects over the years. Got people all hyped up, formed group chats, got on Zoom calls, and drafted proposals, only to fall flat on my face when the going got a bit too challenging.
My excuses include:
- It was just too hard.
- The people weren’t committed.
- My schedule got too busy.
- I realized I hate doing this.
An idea is like a relationship. At first, everything seems great, you want to spend every waking moment working on the idea, and there’s this adrenaline rush when you make your first steps and you rinse out your friends’ ears talking about it. You have endless thoughts about how amazing it would it to be when this idea comes to fruition. How much success you’re going to have and how many amazing photos you’re going to post on Instagram.
But then months go by, the honeymoon phase has ended and the initial high fades away. You realized there were some glaring issues that you didn’t initially recognize and you have two options, either work through the issues or break up.
Artist Mentality is the catalyst for the idea. It’s like the wingman that gets everything started. It pushes you to open Microsoft Word and write those first two or three lines of a new book. It gives you the nudge to open that business account. It drives you to create that new Facebook page to begin marketing your idea. It gives you that bubbly burst of creativity and you cannot wait to share your ideas with the world. But that’s where it stops.
No More Rainbows and Sunshine
The project you started is now hard, tiresome and burdensome. You get rejected when you reach out for sponsors, your first product launch failed, you have writer’s block and can’t seem to move forward, the people you started the project with don’t seem as committed.
Then you start to think “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea anyway”.
Artist Mentality can only get you so far. Just like in a relationship, that bubbly high only last for a couple months at best. After that high is over, its sink or swim, float or die.
When Artist Mentality ends, Goal Mentality must set in. Without that shift in mindset, you will give up. It’s no longer about how amazing this new idea is, it’s now about what goals can I set to achieve it. Goal Mentality helps you to analyse upcoming problems. Like an Olympic hurdler, you’re prepared to jump over obstacles.
And when you fail (you will fail at some point), you dust off and get back up again. Instead of making excuses, you learn from your mistakes and move forward.
Consistently walking in the direction of your goal bit by bit.
Many of us give up on projects we were once passionate about because we have not made that shift. Life is hard, period. Anything worth doing is going to be challenging, that’s just how the world is wired. Don’t shoot the messenger.
The continuous pursuit of success
Sometimes you begin a project with every intention on completing it but then you realize half way through that it isn’t for you, so you decide to shift gears. That’s fine! Sometimes it’s good to get things out of your system.
But there is that one thing on your mind; you know exactly what I’m talking about. That goal, that idea that God has placed on your heart that you can’t seem to shake. You’ve taken a few steps forward but you can’t seem to really get it off the ground.
Change your mindset.
When things get tough, view it as a stepping stone to success rather than a stumbling block. Keep getting back up, keep adapting, and keep moving forward.
I recently discovered a recording by famed radio announcer Earl Nightingale in his recording “The Strangest Secret.” In it, he defines success as:
“…the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.” In layman’s terms, success is the continuous progression of a realized goal.
Success is a continuum.
So if you want to stop starting projects you never finish, first determine if it’s a worthy goal, and then make a decision to continue even when things get tough.
Here are some actionable steps to help you finish that project:
1. Stop waiting for things to get better
If there’s something you can do now, do it. Stop waiting for that cheque to come in or for your children to go off to college or for your spouse to change their ways. If there’s something, anything, that you can do now to continue working on your project, no matter how small, stop doom scrolling on Tiktok and do it.
2. Keep the goal in mind
Many times we get so caught up in the process of doing things that we forget why we’re doing it in the first place. It’s important to remember why you started this venture in the first place. Write it down, stick it up something. Remember that the destination is more important than the journey.
3. Keep adapting
When you hit a wall, don’t keep hitting the wall. Are you insane? There’s a wall for a reason. Instead, try going around it, climbing it or getting a bulldozer to knock it down. But for the love of all that is good, don’t keep trying the same methods over and over expecting new results. Adapt by finding new ways to problem solve and look for indicators of change in the direction you’re heading.
Conclusion
There’s a quote that Albert Einstein may or may not have said:
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”
Realizing that you keep repeating the same patterns is the first step.
You have the power to change your life, by firstly changing the way you think.
Remember,
Tell Your Story.
Niques.