THE INSPIRATION PLACE PODCAST
Miriam Schulman: It’s about being proactive. It’s about not waiting for opportunities. The difference between people who are successful and people who are not successful is: successful people, they don’t blame the circumstances. When something doesn’t work, they’re like, “Okay, what else can we do?”
Speaker 2: It’s the Inspiration Place podcast with artist Miriam Schulman. Welcome to the Inspiration Place Podcast, an art world insider podcast for artists by an artist where each week we go behind the scenes to uncover the perspiration and inspiration behind the art. And now your host, Miriam Schulman.
Miriam Schulman: Well, hey there, it’s Miriam Schulman here, your curator of inspiration, and you’re listening to episode number 318. Welcome to The Inspiration Place. Today we’re talking about seven habits of highly productive artists. If you feel like you’re spinning your wheels and struggling to stay focused, this episode is for you. You’re not alone. Most artists struggle—most people struggle, let’s put it that way—not because they aren’t working hard enough, but because they focus on the wrong things. I know you work really hard. I do too, and I’m not perfect, by the way. What I’m sharing with you today is wisdom I need to hear myself because so many of us, our brains are going to hijack us and send us down a rabbit hole of things we really don’t need to be working on.
So today, I’m going to share with you productivity wisdom that’s going to help you focus. Now, a lot of what I’m sharing with you today is based on a book I read a long time ago, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, and this is the one book that really did send me down the rabbit hole of self-development. I remember there was an online class that I really wanted to take, and I didn’t want to invest in it. At the time, it was $1,000, which at that time for me felt like so much money.
So I decided I was going to pass, and I was in this Facebook group with a lot of other entrepreneurs, and somebody says, “Well, you know, really everything that’s in this course is pretty much covered in this book, The 7 Habits book.” So I was like, “Okay, I’ll read the book.” And I started reading it, and that’s when I really fell in love with self-development, particularly self-development books—really falling in love with that knowledge and understanding that there are ways, there are methods, that you can manage your mind, you can manage your time, and you can be more productive to be more effective in the world.
I try to think back how long ago it was that I did this. It may even have been before I had an online class—maybe 13 years ago. So this is knowledge that I’ve been putting into place for a real long time. What I’m going to do today, though, is cover the seven habits that are inside Covey’s book but show you how to apply it as an Artpreneur, as a creative business person. Now, when I say creative business, just know because this can apply to any creative business. It doesn’t matter if you’re a painter, ceramicist, fiber artist and once we’re general about what kind of art you create, you can apply this to anything.
So if you’re an interior decorator or a graphic designer, or you’re in any kind of business that is not painting, I’ll tell you what to focus on so that you can leave here inspired and motivated. Okay? All right, so let’s first review what the seven habits are. One, be proactive. Two, begin with the end in mind. Three, put first things first. Four, think win-win. Five, seek to understand. Six, synergize. Seven, sharpen the saw.
And yes, seven is “Sharpen the saw.” Okay, so those are the seven habits, and we’re going to dive into each of them after these words. All right, so it’s been a while since I read this book, so I really enjoyed getting a refresher on it. If you’ve read the book in the past, I hope you enjoy it too. If you haven’t read it, hopefully, this will give you a little teaser, either to go read it or maybe just to get this Cliff Notes version that I’m sharing with you today. So we’re starting with number one, which is: be proactive. Be proactive.
So this is about recognizing that you have the power to not only choose your responses and your actions, but you also have the power to choose your feelings. I talk a lot about this inside the book Artpreneur—how to manage your mind using cognitive behavior therapy recognizing that there are circumstances in the world, things happen, and we have thoughts about them. Those thoughts drive our feelings, and the feelings drive our actions. But all along the way, we may not have the power to always change the circumstance. Sometimes we do, but sometimes we don’t. Sometimes it’s just an event in the world. But we can manage our thoughts about things. We’re the only ones who think in our minds, which is a good thing.
So, it’s about being proactive. It’s about not waiting for opportunities. And this is one of the biggest differences between artists who are successful and artists who are less successful. The difference between people who are successful and people who are not successful is successful people don’t blame the circumstances. When something doesn’t work, they’re like, “Okay, what else can we do?”
So, there are circumstances, there are thoughts, there are our feelings. Our feelings drive our actions. Our actions create our results. And if we have the thought, “Nothing is working,” well…
That thought leads to despair, which leads us to not do anything. If you’ve convinced yourself that nothing’s going to work, it leads to the action that nothing works. If you have the motto “be proactive,” when something doesn’t work, you can have the thought, “I just haven’t found what works yet,” or “I can’t wait to figure this out,” or perhaps, “I need to try something different now.” And when you have that thought—because you believe that eventually what’s going to happen is going to work—you keep taking action until you get the result that you want.
Now, people who are not proactive think that they’re waiting for perfect circumstances to happen, or they think the circumstances are more important, or they’re waiting for the fish to jump in their boat. In Artpreneur, I call this “Rapunzel-style marketing,” which means you’re waiting for your prince to come and rescue you. The people who are the most successful are making things happen. They create their own opportunities. We don’t wait for opportunities to happen.
So let me give you a few ideas of how you can be proactive as a creative business owner. I have a bunch of ideas, so I’m going to list them out. The first idea is: you could host your own art show.
So this idea is obviously specific to artists. If you are not an artist, you can host your own fill in the blank—whatever that selling event is. For artists, this could be an open studio. This is definitely the easiest way to host something because you don’t have to move your stuff around. It’s right there, right where you create it. You can do this in your home. If you don’t have a formal studio, that’s fine. I’ve done it on my front porch. If your home is not appropriate for this, you can find a place to rent, or you can find an empty storefront and negotiate with the landlord to use it. These are all different ways you can create your own opportunities.
Number two: network with other artists. You can co-create projects, co-create exhibitions, or co-create workshops. Think of other artists not as your competition but as your collaborators because a rising tide lifts all boats. Throughout art history, successful artists have all had one thing in common—they had artist friends. We can see that with the Abstract Expressionists hanging out with each other, and we can see that with Andy Warhol and Basquiat.
And inside the Artist Incubator program, incubators meet together in their accountability pods, so they are networking with each other.
One of the most powerful things that successful people do that unsuccessful people don’t is invest in their relationships. This is true of everyone in business—invest in your relationships. That’s why I started these accountability pods. I wanted you to have the opportunity to network with other artists in a deeper, more meaningful, and impactful way. Sure, we have a Facebook group—so many programs have Facebook groups—but an accountability pod is so much more impactful because you’re meeting with the same people every week, face to face.
Here are some more ideas for being proactive. Number three: create and regularly update your website and social media profiles to showcase your portfolio, artist statement, your contact information. Those are all ways you can be proactive in creating that professional presence that will help you sell more art. But don’t be passive about it. Remember, having a beautiful website is like being that beautiful princess up in a tower—if nobody knows about it, it doesn’t really help. You have to send that information out to people, whether it’s for publicity, pitching for opportunities, or asking people to buy what you have.
You can also teach workshops and classes. Building your email list is huge. Anyone who has followed me for any length of time knows that because, yes, building a social media presence is a useful part of what you do, but it’s not as proactive as building your email list.
Because when you build your email list, you’re taking control of that relationship, and you control who sees what you’re talking about. Remember, on social media, the algorithms decide if your followers even see it. On social media, only 1% will engage with you, but with email, the open rate is around 24%. The biggest difference is that your subscribers decide whether or not they’re going to open your email, while on social media, the algorithms decide if your followers are even going to see it.
Next idea: you can research and apply for art competitions, grants, and residencies. Sometimes these can be paid opportunities, and you can also make your own opportunities. Now, there are several ways to research opportunities. Websites like CaFÉ (which stands for Call for Entry) so cafe.org and also Art Opportunities Monthly are very helpful for finding opportunities. So make sure you visit them regularly to see what kinds of opportunities you can take advantage of. Another way to research opportunities is through ZAPP, which stands for ZAPPlication. ZAPP is a great way to find quality artist opportunities, and although I’m not sure if it’s limited to just the US, it’s a great way to find quality shows.
Okay, so now here’s your last idea for being proactive: invest your time in submitting for press and publicity. This gets more eyes on your art. We have a freebie for you—if you want to be a proactive artist and get a guide of artist opportunities to submit your art to, and to pitch to the press, we took the time to research global opportunities. So it doesn’t matter if you don’t live in the US; you can get this if you go to SchulmanArt.com/Media.
So there is a huge difference between people who seek out opportunities and people who don’t. The people who seek out those opportunities are willing to hear “no.” They’re willing to hear “no”. Yes, you want to hear a “yes,” but you’re not going to get any yeses if you’re not willing to get a no along the way. So, the more comfortable you can get with rejection and failure, the more success you’re going to have. I just want to whet your appetite a little bit—I’ve had lots of artists have success with getting publicity that has led to sales. Dawn Trimble, Elizabeth Mordensky, and Vicky Beths are three artists who have all had success getting publicity.
So we just finished talking about being proactive—that was habit number one. Now, we’re moving forward with habit number two: begin with the end in mind. What you want to do is define very clear goals. You always want to understand your long-term objective and have a clear vision for your life and career. In fact, I would urge you to take it a step further and create a personal mission statement—one that really reflects your core values and long-term goals.
One of the things I do with prospects inside the Artpreneur Bootcamp—and the next Artpreneur Bootcamp is actually coming up in September, so you may want to get on to that—but during the bootcamp, we always create a manifesto, which really helps to create that long-term vision and mission statement. So once you create your mission statement, what you wanna do is before planning your day, look at what your long term goals and your mission statement to make sure that what you’re doing on a daily, what you’re doing on a weekly basis lines up with your ultimate long-term goals.
Habit number three: put first things first. You always want to prioritize the most important tasks. A lot of us spend too much time on things that feel important but really aren’t. So, focus on things that are really important, not necessarily urgent. We talked about this in a prior episode—this is the “rocks first” approach. If you were trying to fill a jar and you had sand and pebbles, and rocks to put in, it would be a big mistake to fill the jar up first with sand because then you wouldn’t have any room for your rocks. But if you put the rocks in first, you have lots of room then to fill the sand up in between the rocks.
What you wanna do is see your day as like this jar, with the rocks being your most important tasks, and the sand or pebbles being less important. So, don’t fill your day focusing on less important things—focus on the rocks first. Say no to distractions and unimportant tasks that don’t contribute to your long-term goals. At the beginning of every week, identify your key tasks and prioritize them in your schedule. I use a weekly planner to make sure that I’ve allocated time for my most important activities. I mentioned earlier that I use the Planner Pad, and we’ll link that up for you in the show notes.
Habit number four: think win-win. This is about seeking mutually beneficial solutions. It’s about seeing your partners and peers as collaborators and making sure you have the mindset that anytime you interact or negotiate, everyone can benefit. It’s not about “he wins, she loses.” So, always look to build positive relationships and focus on cooperation rather than competition. That’s why I encourage you to meet with other artists on a regular basis—they are your allies.
A rising tide lifts all boats. That’s why I created the accountability pods inside the Artist Incubator—because these artists are really benefiting from having each other to hold on to.
Habit number five: seek first to understand, then to be understood. When selling your art, when selling anything, you want to listen more than you talk. This is easier said than done, but just, you know, telling is not selling. That’s why, in Artpreneur, chapter number ten is called “Listen to Understand,” and that’s really the chapter on selling. You always want to listen with empathy and truly understand your customer’s perspectives before expressing your own view, making sure your communication is clear and considers the needs of others. But you can’t do that if you’re interrupting or worrying about what you need to say. Listen more than you speak.
Here’s your homework: read or reread chapter ten of the book Artpreneur and pay attention to the Overcoming Objections chart. Overcoming objections isn’t about using the perfect script to get your customer to a yes, no matter what. It’s about stepping into compassion for your customer.
Habit number six: synergize. What you want to do when you’re working with others is combine the strengths of team members to achieve better outcomes than individuals alone and embrace diversity. Now, if you are a solopreneur, you may think this doesn’t apply to you, but I really think you’ll go further if you do hire help, even if it’s just a business babysitter for a few hours a week to do some of the tasks that do not need to be done by you, that are a bit tedious.
If you need help planning, there are some great planning tools out there. Trello is one. We use Asana, and they really help you stay organized with all your tasks.
And finally, habit number seven is sharpen the saw. The phrase “sharpen the saw” comes from the idea that if you’re chopping down a tree, you need to take a break to sharpen the saw. If you don’t, it’s going to slow you down. Now, sharpening the saw is a metaphor for taking a break to refill your creative well, to practice self-care. This is why it’s important to renew yourself regularly. Take time for self-renewal in all four areas: physical, social, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Make sure you get enough sleep, ensure your life is balanced, and continually give back to yourself. Schedule regular time for self-care, learning, and personal development. This is how you keep your edges sharp.
Okay, so we’re going to review all seven of those habits: be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think win-win, seek first to understand, synergize, and sharpen the saw. One of the habits we spent the most time on is habit number one, be proactive. And we talked about how one of the best ways to do that is by getting press.
Publicity is the formula for getting more visibility and sales for your artwork. Getting publicity is much easier than you think. Once you get over your fear of pitching, it can unlock all kinds of doors for you. My own art, my own story, has been seen in many magazines and newspapers, from The New York Times to Art Journaling to local papers. And it’s not only worked for me, but it’s also worked for my clients inside the Artist Incubator—clients like Dawnn Trimble. Publicity has also worked for hundreds of years for artists like Rubens, who had his etchings made and distributed throughout Europe.
Rubens was an artist in the Netherlands who knew that he wouldn’t be able to get his art out, and by distributing these etchings, which are basically very expensive fliers and basically publicity, that was how he was able to get commissions from the wealthiest families across Europe.
So the good news is, I have a resource just for you. It’s the top 20 blogs and magazines for artists—in other words, the top media for artists that you can pitch your stories to. They are looking for artists just like you. It’s a curated list of the top 20 media outlets for artists. We’re talking about the best blogs, the best print magazines. So if you want it, go to SchulmanArt.com/Media to get your hands on it.
All right, my friend, thank you so much for being with me here today. I’ll see you the same time, same place next week. Until then, stay inspired. Bye for now.
Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to The Inspiration Place podcast. Connect with us on Facebook at facebook.com/schulmanart, on Instagram @schulmanart and of course, on SchulmanArt.com.
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