ARTIST........ATTITUDE is everything.

ARTIST........ATTITUDE is everything.

I will most likely get criticism for talking about myself here, but I am sure there are many Artists out there, young and not so young who have tasted the very bitter pill of rejection and isolation and I wanted help them to rise above it.

I look back now and remember what a daunting prospect it was to try and find a Gallery. As a struggling Artist I rang Galleries to make appointments and got refused. I would cold call Galleries and get rejected. I have written hundreds of Galleries around the World to get either no response at all or if I did get an answer it was a rejection. I found it all a very difficult experience, heartbreaking and defeating.

I got to the point that every time I decided to go and try and find a new Gallery I would talk myself out of it as I knew I would be rejected, and so I would not do it as that was the safest option. In this delusion I also believed that one day I would get “ magically “ discovered and the Art World would beat a path to my door, one day never came.

I decided that the only thing left to do was go back to the Galley I had started with, which I have never left and do a one man show, which I thought would be very successful.

I put the show together it cost a lot of money and a years effort of painting.

I opened with great expectation and sold nothing.

Not to be defeated I decided to do it again next year because it would work then, not sure why I thought that, so another year of painting and a whole lot more money and opened again, sadly to the same result, no sales and now no money.

Whose fault was this, who was to blame?

I blamed everyone, the Gallery, the Gallery staff, the collectors and of coarse the public because no body came.

The truth was the fault was mine, yes Artist, it was my fault.

No body came because no body knew me.

No collectors came because they did not know me or my paintings.

I was unknown.

I had been painting for thirty years and was unknown but to a few loyal friends and collectors.

No body knew me.

I had blamed everyone but the fault was all mine.

I had two choices, I could climb back into my dark place of isolation and blame the whole world for my failure or I could take responsibility for my own failure and change myself?

I decided after some soul searching to make some changes, I forgave myself and began to rebuild my life.

It is quite amazing, if you think you will fail you most likely will, because the things you think about the most, mostly come true.

My sons and daughter have been a great inspiration to me and have been very encouraging on my climb back. I credit my Son with being the one who said it straight to me always and gave me leads on how to get back to a positive inspiring passionate place.

I decided because of his advice that I had to learn a whole lot about this new century that I had just woken up in, I needed to learn all about the internet, about the new thoughts on sales and marketing. So I set myself to read books on the subjects and watch videos on sales and marketing and I still watch as many videos on this subjects as I can and read books every day, I needed to rebuild me, my attitude and to see the world through positive, passionate eyes.

I realised that there was nothing wrong with my paintings and sculptures, it was just no body knew about them, I lived in my studio and seldom ventured out.

If you are waiting to be discovered one day, you will have a long wait until that day.

I got to work changing my life and how I viewed it.

It has been a fun journey of discovery and I wish I had known what I know now thirty years ago and I forever grateful to that young man, my Son who took the time to tell his dad which way was up.

Everyday as I commute to the Gallery, I appreciate always what a beautiful day it is and how I am so fortunate to live in a very lovely place on this planet and I look forward to whatever new opportunities this new day will bring, it is so different than before.

I see so many business men and others who are so serious and weighted down with their worries as if the spinning of this planet was their sole responsibility their life is just not fun. If what you do is not fun and inspiring and work is a drag and you watch the clock all day, well you are either in the wrong job, or wrong relationship or the wrong city.

Everyone has to earn a living, I get that, so be excited about you work, make it fun, look for opportunities and add value to your place of employment, so many people are so unhappy, so make changes don't make excuses.

I still see myself as a painter and a sculptor but now I have a great desire to help other young aspiring artists to be successful, I certainly know what not to do.

I want to share what I have learned that will help other Artists to achieve there goals and dreams.

It is not the responsibility of the Gallery to make you successful , that is your responsibility, they can certainly help you and guide you and sell your work but you need to make yourself known, that is your responsibility.

Over the next few weeks I want to share with you from my experience what will help you to be a successful Artist, Keys to success in the Art Business.

Now like all advice it is easily given but you will have to action it, you will have to work very hard, nothing worth having came cheaply and you still have to paint and create.

KEY 1......... ATTITUDE.

Artist your attitude will determine your ability to succeed.

If you have a positive attitude and learn to control that negative self talk in your head then you will do well.

Your attitude defines you, positive or negative.

I remember a saying I heard as a kid and it has always stayed with me, “ Two men looked through prison bars one saw mud and one saw stars. “

Develop a positive attitude.

A practical help.

So often people tell you what you must do, but not how to do it.

I call this, “ acting to build a new reality.”

Write down on a sheet of paper all the things about you that you believe will make you a positive person.

I do this, it is like the script for my life, and read it aloud to yourself five times every morning when you first get up.

I read this out to myself...” I like myself, people like me, I have a warm friendly smile, I am a positive person. I make friends easily. I believe in my art, my talent. People like to my paintings. I am a warm generous person” and whatever else you would like to say about yourself.

Write the sentences down as if it is already done.

As you read it to yourself aloud, do it with conviction and passion.

You will see a change, do it for thirty days and it will become a habit and habits become reality.

Many people start this positive self talk and give up very quickly because that negative self talk voice in their head will tell them, " you cannot change, you were born like this," and many other negative things about themselves.

Sadly we use negative self talk about our art, our ideas and our lives, how many times have you had a great idea before going to bed and in the morning wake up and then talk yourself out of it?

Negative self talk takes time to conquer, sometimes the enemy is within, that's what can destroy your positive attitude.

Change your self talk to positive uplifting subjects and learn to stop yourself when you get negative and down on yourself.

A positive attitude is a Key to your Artistic success.

Key 1 ...ATTITUDE is everything.

Next week KEY 2. GET ATTENTION.

Keep smiling.