Marlo Johnson's Blog, page 2

How to Be a Professional Artist: My Top 8 Tips

You can thrive as an artist! 

I quit my terrible day job on a whim in 2004, and haven’t looked back. Here’s what I learned about how to thrive as a full-time artist.

After I quit my job I went to art school for a bit, but then I quit that too. It was clear that I needed to try things my own way. So I did. I tried a great many things, and a lot turned out to be mistakes. After years of struggle, though, I found a level of success and sense of ease as an artist that seemed too good to be true.

Here are my top 8 tips for being a professional artist, in case you want to skip some of the mistakes I went through. I learned these things the hard way, but you don’t have to.

1. BELIEVE

If you feel that you are an artist, you must accept it: you are an artist. Not after you start selling, or after you gain recognition. NOW. To be an artist is a state of being and way of life that requires no external validation. It is older than capitalism and should not be defined by it.

You must also shift your thinking from “I don’t know how to do it” to “how do I do it?” and decide that you will make it happen.  You really do need an absolute belief in yourself to make this work. Thanks to the internet, it’s very easy to find examples of successful artists, and the great many ways in which they do it. It can be done, and is often done. You don’t even need to be famous.

2. BE EXCITED

If you’re not excited about your ideas or your work why should anyone else be? Address this on paper by brainstorming the MOST EXCITING things you could create. This excitement will be your motivation to get shit done and your guidance for creating work other people can’t help but love. If you ever lose this excitement, do whatever it takes to get it back.

3. FORGET ABOUT MONEY (FOR NOW)

If money is your main goal, this career is not for you, and I’d suggest finding an easier way. Trying to make the art that will sell the best will kill your creativity and you may start to die a little inside. Instead, focus on finishing your most exciting work and sharing it with people.

4. KNOW YOUR WORTH

Find out how much it costs you to produce work, including materials, education, loans, studio rent, etc. What you charge should pay for all of your expenses AND give you a good living wage. If you live in an expensive area this could be a lot. You’re worth it! You deserve food, shelter, and happiness, right? Find the real value of your work—don’t just copy what random internet people are charging—and be confident about the price you quote when people ask! You honestly can’t afford to undercharge if you want to eat and keep buying art supplies, and doing so perpetuates the undervaluing of all artists in your field.

5. HELP PEOPLE

This gives your work purpose, value, and demand. You can make work that helps people directly—even creating things that just make people happy is a great way to do it. Or you can use your work to raise money for a good cause. I’ve seen people do this through official charity events or personal auctions on places like Twitter. What feels genuinely right for you? Shift your thinking from “how can I sell more work?” to “how can my work help more people?” This will lead to sales, connections, and returned favours naturally, just don’t expect things back from everyone you help. Find causes you are passionate about and help because you want to!

6. RELEASE ALL EXPECTATIONS 

EVER. Expectations do not get you results! And they are likely to lead you to disappointment and bitterness. They can be a great wake-up call that you’re doing things for the wrong reasons though. Instead, focus on doing what you love, what most excites you, and helping people. Trust that choosing a positive path will get you positive results! If something you’re doing doesn’t seem to be panning out, it’s okay to move on from it. Focus on moving forward to the next exciting thing, and keep your momentum going.

7. TAKE ONE DAY AT A TIME

Being a full-time artist can be truly terrifying. There will be challenges, uncertainties, and dry spells. When things are tough, the best thing to do is to focus on what you can control that day—take care of yourself, be inspired, make great work, show people, and learn from your experiences. Huge changes very often happen overnight! Remember to be present with your creative self every day, especially when things are tough.

8. BE CREATIVE!

This is far more important than any tactic. If you have a problem, learn how to use your creativity to find an inspired solution. Don’t follow the crowd. Creativity should be your way of life, not just how you make art, so always leave room for inspiration and serendipity. This may sound like a flimsy strategy, but learning how to trust your own creative power and inner guidance is what being an artist is all about!

For more guidance, check out Create Now!: A Systematic Guide to Artistic Audacity.  It's an invaluable tool for anyone who wants to build a life as a thriving creative, and keep a copy with you for daily support and inspiration!

Motivation and Inspiration: How To Seriously Love Your Work

Is inspiration really for amateurs? What if you worked on your craft every day because you were too inspired not to?

Many people seem to think there are only two options for creatives: being the lazy dreamer who waits around for inspiration to magically appear, or being the serious professional who just gets to work every day no matter what. 

Of course people should choose what works best for them and their preferred lifestyle, but I don’t particularly like either of those two options. 

The obvious problem with waiting for inspiration is that it might come too late – or not at all. Some people are naturally inspired all the time, so this might be great for them, but not everyone is that lucky.

I grew up almost always feeling completely blocked. Throughout my career I still showed up, worked long hours every day, tired and scattered, and ran myself into the ground. I wasn’t happy or healthy, I usually wasn’t creating anything that great, and I wasn’t even well paid. 

I didn’t know how to be inspired, and it didn’t come naturally to me. I just had the belief that I was supposed to hustle and push through. I’m still paying for it. 

We don’t get blocked because inspiration just isn’t around, though. Inspiration is always available and there are easy ways to find it.

It’s not magic – though it does feel that way!

You can be inspired at any time – it just takes a choice to use your brain in a certain way that might not be your default mode. It even works for “left-brained” people like me!

The problem with just getting to work, even when you don’t want to, is that it’s too easy to slip into an exceptionally common pattern of self-destruction and neglect, where you ignore your true purpose and needs for the sake of productivity or money.

If you neglect your excitement and inspiration and force yourself to just produce, doesn’t this negate the whole purpose of doing what you love anyway? After awhile it can even lead to burnout or health problems that can take away your ability to work at all.

I’ve also seen people push through, only to realize they’d lost touch with their vision and have a pile of useless work that needs to be scrapped. This can go on for months, years, or even decades. You don’t need to let that happen to you.

Lack of motivation isn’t a defect – it’s a sign that you are off balance or off track. Ignoring this is not wise. Suffering for your work is not honorable or wise. That is backwards thinking, and hearing it your whole life doesn’t make it true. 

But what if you keep trudging along, and one day you have a breakthrough! Maybe you will, but maybe not. Why leave it to chance?

Living in a society that has married productivity with self-worth, it can be hard to let go of the obsession to produce at all costs. But I believe we must. And we can. And it’s not that big of a deal.

Your productivity is not more important than your wellbeing, and should not come first. You may have deadlines and bills but you still deserve to be healthy and balanced. You still deserve a good quality of life. And you need these things to perform at an optimal level.

Your value is not determined by your output. When you value yourself properly you will stop abusing yourself for your work, and your work will get better.

Only producing when you’re clear-eyed and inspired doesn’t necessarily mean producing less, it just means learning how to be inspired more! And do you know what’s funny about that? Relaxing, taking care of yourself, and feeling good is a huge part of it.

The most natural way to be prolific is to be so inspired that you need to work every day. Finding motivation and discipline isn’t even relevant when you love your work obsessively. 

And that requires paying attention to your wellbeing first.

Inspiration doesn’t come easily if you’re stressed out, tired, hungry, sick, or depressed – all things that often result from that “work now, sleep when you’re dead” mentality.

If you really want to practice more discipline, rather than just working yourself into the ground apply it to the root of the challenge: the building of a foundation for a healthy and inspired creative practice. This means taking care of yourself properly so you can think clearly and work well, then having fun daily creative sessions just for checking in on your practice and receiving inspiration. (If you don’t know how to do that, I strongly recommend reading my book, Create Now)

Once you start making space for inspiration, it will flow so hard that you won’t be able to keep up. Just make sure you have time scheduled for following through!

If you become stuck and start dreading your work again, just be honest with yourself. Are you really being lazy, or is your wellbeing or creative vision out of whack? These two things should be valued above all else. Make space and listen.

Inspiration is not for amateurs, it’s for visionaries.

For a step-by-step guide to being so inspired you can’t help but be prolific, check out Create Now!: A Systematic Guide To Artistic Audacity from Chronicle Books .

How To Find Perfection Without Perfectionism

If you want to be perfect, being a perfectionist is probably the worst possible way.

The paradox of perfectionism is that the act of striving toward something so unattainable puts you into a perpetual state of feeling like a failure. You won’t ever feel perfect—or even good enough—and you will inevitably act accordingly, experiencing procrastination, creative blocks, and decision-clouding anxiety.

You can't be your best self if you are a perfectionist.

The more holistic, compassionate, and productive solution to perfectionism is acceptance. You CAN feel perfect if you have acceptance and compassion for yourself, and feeling perfect as you are enables you to relax into the most exceptional version of yourself. It allows you to work and live at a higher level, so you can have more success at what you set out to do.

You are allowed to be happy with yourself exactly as you are now.

If you are a recovering perfectionist who needs a new, more attainable standard for yourself and what you do, look to resonance instead:

What actions and choices truly resonate with who you are?What makes you the most happy?What feels the most positive and exciting?How well do your actions and creations align with your goals and intentions?

This self-guided authenticity, rather than externally-influenced insecurity, is a major key for happiness and success, and it's always right there within you. It's liberating and simple. It leads you to the best path for you, and to your unique voice—your true greatness.

You are already more perfect than you know.

For a step-by-step system to authentically-inspired creative living, check out Create Now!

7 Methods For Unblocking Your Highest Creativity

Creative block doesn't happen without a reason—and that's good news! If there is a cause, that means there is also a cure. If you are struggling to release your innate creativity and find inspiration, try some of my favourite cures for creative block:

1. Eliminate Distractions

Creative flow requires focus, so make sure you have eliminated all possible distractions before you begin. This includes phones, TV, and other noise, but also things like being hungry, tired, or mentally distressed. Always take care of your space, your body, and mind before you begin.

2. Find Your WHY

Do you have a greater purpose for this project and for your creative practice as a whole? Is it something you’re REALLY excited about? If you have an exciting and fulfilling reason to create, it gives you inspiration, focus, AND motivation.

3. Romance the Muse

Tidy and decorate your workspace, light candles or incense, make coffee or tea, or do whatever it takes for you to create a studio space that is special and inviting—not really for the muse, but for you! Love your space and get in the mood by preparing for creative sessions, much like you’d prepare for a date.

4. Do Something Boring

Put all electronic devices, music, books, and everything interesting away. Just sit still, do nothing, and relax! If you can find a way to be relaxed and completely present, you will have a far easier time creating the right state of being for creative flow.

5. Start Tiny

Sit at your desk. Sharpen your pencil. Mix a nice color. Make a tiny dot on the canvas. Whatever comes first. Try one tiny little step, then see if you can take another one. Don’t think, just do.

6. Journal

Do you lack clarity? Are you anxious? Write it down! Vent and scribble about whatever is going on right now. Get it all out and consider burning the evidence when you’re done. Once any negativity is out, you can do some brainstorming or writing about what you’re trying to make and why.

7. Make Something Hilariously Horrible

If you still don’t know what to do, start with what NOT to do and make the worst thing you can. It’s easy, fail-proof, and fun, and gets your creativity flowing in ways you’d least expect.

If you'd like a sure-fire system for breezing through creative blocks, no matter what the cause, check out my multiple choice, step-by-step guidebook, Create Now!

Self-Love: The Foundation of Success?

To live as your peak self and to achieve your most exceptional life, there is one simple key.

Too often overlooked, this practice can radically transform your existence, naturally freeing and strengthening your best qualities and abilities, shifting you onto your highest path. 

It is simply to learn how to build your life on a foundation of practical self-love.

When I was younger I would have laughed at this idea. I thought that the key to success was just to pick a job and to work hard, but I found out the hard way that  this approach guarantees nothing, and its "success" may come at a high cost.

With a foundation of self-love, success is organic, holistic, and in harmony with all areas of your life. Instead of requiring sacrifice or compromise, your success comes when you are most true to what you love. It comes when you realize your worth and are able to share that with others; you are rewarded for being your authentic self.

Hard work is not a requirement of success but, ideally, it is a byproduct of successfully creating a life where you love what you do — and of taking care of yourself well enough to be able (and excited) to do it.

Using practical self-love as a guide, you can create the conditions that allow you to be naturally motivated, energized, and inspired. When you are rested and happy, you naturally unleash your best qualities and your greatest potential. And you have far more of the emotional, mental, and physical energy you need to be of greatest service to others and to yourself.

Think of self-love as more than just a feeling — consider it a philosophy and a strategy.

You cannot perform at a peak level if you ignore your needs. You cannot be well-prepared to face problems or to help others if you neglect yourself. You cannot sustain a challenging life path if you abuse your body and mind. You cannot feel motivated and excited about life if you don’t tend to your well-being. And you cannot recognize the value of the gifts you have to offer the world, if you do not value yourself first.

Rest is not a reward for good work, but a prerequisite. Self-care is not selfish, but an essential tool for anyone who wants to be a positive asset and a good example.

If you don’t think you have something valuable to offer, or if you’re in a state so negative that you don’t even care, learning to love yourself in a practical way might be even more crucial.

You have the capacity to always feel love, motivation, and inspiration — but you need to make it physically possible to feel that way by dealing with any obstructions to your positive natural state.

So, how can you take action on this right now?

First, decide right now that you will love yourself. If that’s not possible today, set the intention now to slowly move toward loving yourself.

Next, forgive yourself.

Forgive yourself for everything you think you’ve done wrong, and everything you haven’t done that you were told you should. Forgive yourself for everything that you think is wrong with you, and for everything that you aren’t but were told you should be.

You are enough. You are only human — like everyone else. Have the same compassion for yourself that you have for others, for children, for friends, and even for animals.

Remember that you are not your body. Your body is an amazing machine that you are simply borrowing for awhile. Be kind to it.

Remember that you are neither your actions, nor your achievements. Your value does not change, whether you do horrible things or great ones. Like everyone else, your infinite intrinsic worth is perfect and permanent.

Remember to be grateful. Be grateful for your life, your body, and your experiences. For the terrible things that make you strong and wise, and the beautiful things that make life worth experiencing.

Remember to be amazed. Recognize the miracle of who you are, and everything that had to happen in the history of existence for you to be here at all — for you to get to this exact moment, reading this now.

What we learn from our society is a mere fraction of a hint of a blip, in an infinite cosmic reality. The whole universe had to conspire to get you here. That is a wonder that shouldn’t be wasted by letting this minute moment of time, in this dysfunctional little world, beat you down.

Instead, focus on love — in the greatest, truest sense of the word — and how you can apply it to your challenges in a practical way.

If you are completely honest, if you forget all of the nonsense that this confused world has stuck into your brain, you will remember that you are love, that you deserve only love, and that there is nothing more that you need to give or to be.

Once you choose self-love as your foundation, and really learn how to apply it to your own life, the rest will take care of itself.

Decide to be love. Plant that seed, and let it grow.

For a step-by-step guide to a creative life built on self-love, check out Create Now!