Here we are at the start of a brand-new year. And one with the lucky number seven in it--a good omen to some. But really, every future year has great potential. We are embarking on a new set of months, a new set of sunrises, a new set of chances.
What comes to my mind is a Christmas present I received from my husband. It's a DVD of a movie called "The Secret." If you are looking for an intriguing movie to watch during the first month of the new year, I suggest renting this one. It's in video stores now. (To see a trailer and other info about the movie, go to http://www.thesecret.tv) It's not a story, it's not fiction, but it builds a case for what it considers the basic law of the Universe--the idea that you can influence your own destiny, based on your own thoughts and expectations.
In the movie, they call it the "Law of Attraction," and as I understand it, it says that you will attract to you things and events that match your internal attitudes. If you think that you always lose at card games, you're always going to lose. If you feel that driving is a hellish experience with nasty drivers who cut you off all the time, that is the experience you'll tend to have. If you are convinced that people are out to cheat you, those are the types who will continue to approach you. If however, you plan, expect, look forward to good things happening, they will.
This movie, and some of the many self-help books now out on the market, insist that you are in control of your own destiny. If you want something, then focus on it, pretend you already have it and be thankful for it, and the universe will bring it to you because of the power of your mind. Watching the movie and listening to the experts explaining how to do this, is very inspiring.
Yet I'm willing to bet there are those of you out there who are reading this and saying, "Yeah, right." For every successful artist out there, there are hundreds more who are fighting for their rights with gallery and shop owners, sitting out in the heat or rain at arts and crafts fairs, or just struggling to get their art noticed. How do we "attract" success to ourselves as artists? We all want success, don't we? Then why isn't it happening? Why aren't we making more money, becoming better recognized, getting into more shows?
People who espouse these attraction theories state that success might not be reaching us because there is something blocking it--and that blockage is deep within ourselves. The block takes the form of a sentence that's repeated like a mantra, often since childhood. It's not often conscious, but rather is murmured in the background of our daily lives. It can sound something like: "I am not worthy," or, "I don't deserve this." Or it can have a falsely religious base, such as: "People who make a lot of money must be bad people," or "I shouldn't draw attention to myself by publicizing my accomplishments--that's the sin of pride."
When I first heard this block idea, I pooh-pooed it. But over months of thinking about it, I realized that there was truth in it. These blocks to personal success and fulfillment can spring up anywhere: They can originate with a run-in with a teacher in grammar or high school, who wants to control an imaginative and challenging student, so they say something cutting to "put them in their place." They can originate from parents who are over-protective, even secretly envious of a gifted child, and try to hold them back, saying things like, "I didn't do that, so you shouldn't either," or, "That's not for us." Blocks can be put up by religious leaders, who herd young people into a certain way of thinking by labeling independence of thought and/or action as "sins." If you look around you, you will probably be able to make out these stumbling blocks being thrown in people's way.
In my estimation, anything that stunts the development of someone's self-confidence--that's a block. And what's so insidious is that these blocks are easily absorbed into the psyches of children and young people. I personally feel that the parents and teachers who repeat to the children in their care, over and over again: YOU CAN DO ANYTHING--those parents and teachers should all get Nobel prizes.
So do you have any blocks that are keeping you from attracting more success as an artist? Any negative mantras that need to be located and rooted out? Here's one more that I think plagues a lot of artists. There are several variants, but they all boil down to: "My work isn't good enough. It's too _______(you fill in the blank with any of your most feared criticisms: rough, weird, big, ugly, common, etc.)"
OK, let me tell you something. I have looked at hundreds of artists' websites. I have toured hundreds of galleries and shops around the country, and attended dozens of art fairs. This is what I know: There is a market for everything. There is a market for folksy, ugly, funny, disturbing, elegant, antique and every other artistic style you can think of. Some people only love gold and diamonds, others love jewelry made only of found objects. Some people hate cute, others love it. The bottom line is: For as many different types of people out there, there are as many different tastes, and somewhere, there is a perfect match for your style of art.
So my advice is: Do what you love. Make what you like. Don't try to bend who you are and what you do just to please a certain audience. Your work will ring false. Instead, just keep doing what you love, and invest your true self, your personality, into it. Your work will get better and better the more you practice it. And when you've finished a piece, be proud of it. Lavish it with love and honor, and whatever blessings are meaningful to you to send it out into the world with. Don't hide it. Don't apologize for it. Don't say "It's nothing," because that's not true. Be pleased and happy about it. Wear it out to a restaurant, a party, while on vacation. People will start to notice. And if they compliment you on your jewelry, say, "Thank you, I made it." Don't hide your light under a bushel.
And while I have some reservations about some of what the "Law of Attraction" theorists say, I know that if you follow my advice, what will eventually happen is that the right market will find your work. It might come to you in an unusual way, such as a shop owner noticing what you're wearing, which can lead to a conversation about putting your work in her shop. Or it might be an announcement or invitation to submit your work for a juried show or contest. This year, this new 2007, promise yourself you won't toss that invitation, but instead, respond to it and submit your work. Don't think how high the odds are against being accepted. Think instead that just working on the submission will bring you experience, and a new design, that you didn't have before.
Here's my suggestion: Let's all make 2007 a year of new openings, new adventures, and taking new risks. This attitude thing---who knows whether it will work. But isn't it worth the try?
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