The Fear of Achieving Success
Hello there, my friend and welcome to this week's blog. Last week we talked about how to shift from a scarcity mindset to a mindset of abundance. I want to dive a bit deeper this week and talk about our fears around success. It’s an interesting dichotomy because sometimes you can fear success more than failure. Let’s get into it.
Idea #1: Limited Opportunities vs Limitless Opportunities
Here are some common things I hear:
“I lack confidence in my abilities and don’t have a support system to help me continue to move forward. My husband really wants me to just go get a regular J.O.B.”
or
“The market must be oversaturated. There are so many people exploring surface design now. There can’t possibly be room for me.”
or
“There are so many talented artists doing surface design. Is my work different enough to be interesting to anyone? I’m afraid no one will buy it.”
Here’s the thing. The surface design industry is HUGE. You’ve probably heard me say this before. Look around you right now and count the number of patterns you see. The limiting belief that you need to bust through is that the opportunities are not limited. The opportunities are in fact limitless.
Idea #2: My Designs Might Get Stolen
If you haven’t read Austin Kleon’s book, Show Your Work, you should order it right now. His books are fantastic because they are short and to the point. If you’re like many of us and are really uncomfortable promoting your work, this book will help you push through that discomfort.
As he says, if you don’t put your work out there, no one will find you. And you know what? If someone does steal a design, there’s more where that came from. You can’t give power to the 1% of people who might steal something. Stand in your power and don’t worry about it.
I recently completed Juliet Meeks’ online course, Licensing for Artists, and she gets most of her licensing deals straight from Instagram. She posts her beautiful watercolor work regularly and art directors find her, reach out, and hire her. That sounds pretty awesome, right?
Idea #3: Overwhelm
The last idea I'd like to share with you is how to manage the overwhelm. This shows up in a bunch of different ways. It might sound like:
“I love being creative but I’m not good with the numbers side of my creative business. I don’t even have excel or a numbers program on my computer!”
or
“I love so many different creative activities. It’s overwhelming and I don’t know where to focus.”
or
“I’m just starting to lean into my creativity but I’m burned out from my J.O.B. so it’s hard to get started.”
One of my favorite expressions is: We can do hard things. Remember that you are strong. You are resilient. If you put one foot in front of the other, you will make progress. It’s so important to give yourself grace. Pay attention to how you are feeling and adjust accordingly.
If you are burned out from a stressful J.O.B., give yourself time to recover from that experience. Your mind and body will let you know when you’re ready to dive into your creativity. If you have multiple interests, pick one and focus on it for a month. It’s okay if you lose interest and switch over to something new. Each creative pursuit builds on the next and helps you hone your skills. And if you don’t like the numbers, find someone who can help you. We don’t need to be good at everything!
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Bye for now. And I'll see you next week.
Remember,
It’s Never Too Late to Create®
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MEET ANNE
Hi…I’m Anne!
My creative inspiration comes from a lifetime of observation. I grew up in Paris on the Place St. Sulpice and walked to school through the Luxembourg gardens. And that was only the beginning… Learn more by watching the video on my About page.
