Stop and then get to work!

(Another great post from Alyson Stanfield's blog)

►Do you ever find yourself looking for more information than you need?



►Do you catch yourself reading and reading (and clicking and clicking) and never taking action?



►Are you looking for the magic bullet--that one thing (as if there were one thing) that will propel your art career forward faster than you could have imagined?

Stop!

Stop gathering information, stop looking for something that doesn't exist, and start doing. 

There is no single thing you can do to "make it" in the art world. A successful career is the result of years of labor--both in and out of the studio. It is the sum of hundreds and thousands of actions, regardless of how small the actions seem at the moment. 

It's easy to get lost in the quest for knowledge. You search on the Internet, and one link leads to another. Before you know it, you can't remember what you were looking for. This is a sign that you're either procrastinating on taking action, or you aren't focused on your goal. It's also an indication that it's time to stop gathering information and start taking action.

There are two other signs that you have the know-how you need.

1) Messages start repeating themselves. It never hurts to hear something multiple times in order to learn it, but it does hurt to hear something multiple times and not act on or benefit from the knowledge.

2) You have consumed multiple viewpoints and maybe even conflicting advice. It's useful to have more than one opinion about how to do something. Sure, this might create confusion, but it will also force you to make a decision about what's best for you.

Don't stop gathering knowledge forever, but catch yourself. If you find yourself getting lost in a sea of information and advice, it's time to call forth your wise inner self and give it a voice: "I have the knowledge I need. I can get to work now."


Know This . . . You have the knowledge you need to accomplish a great deal. Think About This . . . Have the messages been repeating themselves? Are you hearing the same thing over and over again? Do This . . . Stop looking for knowledge that you already have and then get to work. Listen to your wise inner self. If you get stuck, you can return to your information bank and review what you know. © 2009 Alyson B. Stanfield. Alyson takes the mystery out of marketing your art and making more money as an artist. Visit http://www.ArtBizCoach.com to get articles just like this one delivered to your inbox.