How do you manage emotional risks in creative pursuits?

This is SUPER important. But finding the WHY that can stick, that is unwavering amidst ups and downs takes time, effort and consistency. There will be a few false WHYs - false starts - and that is perfectly normal. Understanding those, jettisoning them and moving forward is the only way to discover one's WHY.

Yes, know your why and purpose. It is so vital to come back to this each and every time. When we go after our creative pursuits, it is possible we will face challenges, obstacles, and naysayers. We must continue to stay on the path.

I recently decided to paint is a dedication to my mother and had no intention to sell. The process brought joy and healing and resulted in a painting. I absolutely loved when I was asked if I would sell it. I didn’t want to let it go but later decided that it should be shared with the world and Kurt free up the opportunity to continue creating for many artists making money is not a strong enough why. There Hass to be a greater purpose or passion behind the work to succeed.

I played in a rock band for ~10 years as a young adult. We wrote our own music. At first we started releasing songs because we thought they sounded like music you’d hear on the radio (I know I’m dating myself). But after we started gelling as a band, something clicked and our music became tighter, influenced by others, but unique to us. The more we developed our own sound, the more passionate we became about our music and less concerned we became about what others thought or how they reacted. There came a point when I realized I was playing music for me. I didn’t care what others thought. And ironically it’s at this time when others thought we played out best material. It’s in the songs of others where you will find the songs of your own.

In a world with FOMO, people touting their wins and less so their failures, it can become a tad daunting if we don't see the overnight success in our pursuits. Knowing that behind every success story is countless failures that is not publicized and taking the time to embrace setbacks, learn and move forward is important in the creative journey!

I protect myself by setting low expectations, so that I can be surprised when things go better than anticipated. At the same time I am very hard on myself, so it is a careful balance between keeping motivated and encouraged.

Think about the journey more than the destination 👈 that’s the way I approach any creative or personal pursuit. It’s important to have goals, but I’ve always found that the moment I dream up an amazing end result is the moment things stop become as enjoyable and anxiety can set in. Experiment and don’t get too upset if you find yourself dwelling on something more than you thought. Take breaks and come back with a fresh brain and perspectives. And, be ok knowing that what you intended on the way in will rarely be what you create.

In business, emotions can be powerful and yet society doesn't encourage the expression of real emotions. Sharing emotions like fear and anxiety and positive emotions like excitement and joy can help others to show up authentically. Emotions help break down barriers and help us find common ground. Using emotional intelligence can help one be vulnerable without losing control of emotions. Vulnerability breads trust.

Paintings that portray my current state of emotion are always the most powerful pieces. They hold stories in healing in their making they often create unexpected joy and leave you encouraged to continue creating.

There is a tight link between authenticity and emotions. I’m not sure I look at this as needing emotional intelligence so much as needing self awareness and comfort in your own skin. The more ok you are with expressing your emotions without fear of what others think, the more authentic and genuine your content will be. Own it!

I find that doing something creative, often stimulates different parts of my brain and it’s a great way to turn off the stresses from regular day-to-day work. It does, however require my working up the motivation in time to dedicate I find that once I get started it’s hard to stop and it’s something I look forward to continuously, but getting started is often the biggest challenge.

Sharing one's milestones, progress measures and wins is important. But it doesn't have to be touting publicly and having social media followers give you a like. It can be instead using that win to help another by sharing the journey to that point or taking the time to take a break.

It’s amazing the difference, deciding to share your creations with the public can have uninspiring you to make future works when they are well received. Artists often have difficulty creating when they fear the perceptions of the public in a recent show where I sold several pieces. I felt very encouraged to continue in building business. I likewise use positive client feedback and revenue growth as encouragement to keep going.