True Story
True fact: It's an amazing feeling when I'm paid for doing something I love, but luck's got nothing to do with it. Can anyone relate?
It's always rubbed me the wrong way when visitors to my studio tell me how "lucky" I am to be a working artist. I know that they mean it as a form of praise, but still............ It negates the dedication and the hours I've spent getting better at painting and the investment I've made to get better at connecting with people like them, who will benefit from having my paintings in their home. So one day when someone used the "L" word as they left the studio, I told them that I had worked "really hard" to get lucky. And oh man, I could instantly tell that I had hurt their feelings, and then I felt like a creep. And the truth is, I haven't worked "REALLY HARD" (that was me being a drama queen). What got me "lucky" isn't hard work, it's my fairly consistent action towards a desired result. I wanted to get better at painting, so I invested in courses, workshops, supplies and studio time to make that happen. And it wasn't hard at all, it was (and is) fun. I wanted painting to be my job, so I invested gobs of money, (worth every penny) in marketing courses and coaching to make that happen. And it wasn't hard at all, in fact it's been great to learn how much fun it is to connect with people who are potential customers. And how to treat everyone like a collector. The bad news is, because I was thoughtless, I've never seen that potential customer in my studio again, Good news is, I learned a lesson, and using what I learned in my marketing courses, :)) I came up with a response that acknowledges the good intentions of the customer, as well as, my journey to become a full time artist.
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