Guest post by Davia of daviadesigns.blogspot.com
The first step is always the hardest. You know it’s true, you have heard it a thousand times. But how do you take that first step in the face of all that fear? What if no-one likes my stuff? Maybe it’s not good enough? How do I even get people to see my work? Perhaps you suffer from an inability to finish things to that “perfect” standard that you are happy to show people?
I hear you loud and clear! It is so frustrating when you work tirelessly at your craft, fine tuning your talent and then it sits on the shelf at home and you think to yourself “I know I could be great if only someone would just notice what I can do.”
YOU CAN BE GREAT, IF THAT IS WHAT YOU CHOOSE!
I recently made the leap after years of painting, drawing, sculpting and mosaicing in my home studio. I have amassed a huge body of work that no-one knows about. Until now!
5 tips to help you make the leap:
1. IT DOESN’T GET BETTER THAN THIS!
I never used to finish my pieces, I had hundreds of almost complete works around the studio. People would visit and say “Wow..that’s great” and I would say “yeah...it will be when it’s finished.” Finishing things is like saying “This is as good at it gets, that’s all there is folks” And that is exactly ALL THERE EVER IS folks. There will always be more, better and different, no matter what we do or how hard we try, so let it go, set your work free.
2. IF YOU LOVE IT, OTHERS WILL TOO!
You can’t please all the people all the time, so please the ones who are in sync with you. They are out there. You can not make a handbag that suits every woman, everyone has different needs. Just ask a girlfriend what she thinks is the perfect bag and you will see what I mean. So now I produce what I like, I love it and so do plenty of others.
3. TOOT YOUR OWN HORN!
You may be lucky enough to have a huge fan club that runs around waving banners saying “Hey Check out this chicky babe” but most of us don’t! We have to toot our own horns, Loud and Proud. It’s not ‘showing off’. NO! It is taking a stand for YOU as a successful artist.
4. BE THE INSPIRATION!
Be honest and share about what you are up to. People find this incredibly inspiring. Let others know about the journey you are taking. It is always great to know we are not alone.
5. BE COURAGEOUS AND LEAP!
One step at a time. You don’t have to complete it, perfect it over night or get it right. There is a whole world waiting to know who you are.
I hope this provides you with a little inspiration. Just leap!
