Coaching for Artists

  • Home
  • Mary’s Blog
    • Blog List
  • Career & Life Coaching
  • Business Startups
  • For Arts Organizations
  • Testimonials
  • Common Questions
  • Meet Mary
  • Resources
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Mailing List
Sign up for my mailing list and receive a FREE Checklist for a Successful Art Career
MENU
  • Home
  • Mary’s Blog
    • Blog List
  • Career & Life Coaching
  • Business Startups
  • For Arts Organizations
  • Testimonials
  • Common Questions
  • Meet Mary
  • Resources
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Mailing List

Get Off the Teeter Totter

2/2/2022

 
Picture
How do you develop confidence, that sustaining belief in yourself and your work that keeps you going over the long term?  You first need to get your work out there, to share it with others you trust.

When you keep your art in hiding, you waver between two illusions:  your work is the most brilliant art anyone has ever created, or it is completely worthless.  How you feel on a particular day determines which end of this teeter totter is up.

Oddly enough, you build confidence by opening yourself to criticism.  Without feedback you are trapped inside your own feelings, shifting between opposite illusions that keep you stuck.  It hardly matters whether your feelings are positive or negative, because they keep you in a fixed place.  By opening yourself to  other points of view, you begin to discover the difference between what you intended and what you were able to achieve.  This makes it possible for you to grow as an artist.   

When you are ready, share your art with others.  Choose people whose opinions you respect, including other artists.  You can also post your work on instagram, but it is harder to get detailed feedback that way.  Think about inviting people for a studio visit, or set up a virtual conversation where you share images.

When asking for feedback, prepare questions ahead of time.  Be clear about what you want to know.  If you’re looking for an overall response, ask “how would you describe the effect of my painting?”  If you’re looking for technical information, ask “does the scale of this sculpture seem right to you?”  Your questions will open up a conversation that helps you see your work in a new way.  

That clear-eyed view is the foundation of real confidence.
​
~ Mary

Mary Edwards, Ph.D
Career & Life Coach for Artists
“Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People”
Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards 

Comments are closed.

    Mary's Blog

    As an artist coach, I bring a unique combination of business knowledge, art world experience, and professional coaching skill to my practice.

    Blog List
Local Marin County artists meet with me in person, by telephone, or via Zoom throughout the coaching program.  I coach U.S based and international clients via telephone, Zoom and SKYPE.  Contact me now to schedule a free, 30-minute consultation.  
Mary Edwards of San Rafael, Marin County, California 94901 
Coaching services are offered nationally and internationally. Cities Served in Marin County, California: Belvedere, Corte Madera, Fairfax, Larkspur, Mill Valley, Novato, Ross, San Anselmo, San Rafael, Sausalito, Tiburon.
Copyright © 2023 Coaching for Artists and Arts Organizations, All Rights Reserved.
​Site powered by MaryHiggins webdesign