Are you avoiding Art Business Tasks because you “don’t feel like it?”
If you are trying to make money from your art, you are responsible for certain tasks that you may not feel like doing.
You might not feel like:
- Writing and sending your email newsletter
- Publishing a blog post
- Updating your contact list
- Posting to social media
- Following up with a buyer
If you're like me, you never feel like doing your bookkeeping.
I get it that not all of these, or perhaps any of them, might be fun.
And, yet, you need to do them to make progress. And to be smart about how you run your Art Business.
There’s no sense bellyaching about the things you don't enjoy. And no sense wishing that you'd rather be doing something else.
Pining for different circumstances is wasted energy. If you want to make progress, hold your nose, roll up your sleeves, and get to work.
And do it joyfully, dammit! , because you’re darn lucky. You're lucky to be an artist in the free world and to have the freedom and resources to build your own business.
My top trick for getting difficult things done is to find support and accountability. And that's why those 2 things are the cornerstone of all my programs.
You can find answers anywhere. Thank you, Google. But artists need community to thrive.
Get Support and Accountability for Your Online Marketing
If you are doing this alone without the support of a coach or community, perhaps considering a few questions might help get you past the struggle.
Examine Your Resistance
Why are you procrastinating?
Is there a mental block and, if so, what is it related to?
Is it a fear of success? A fear of failure?
Do you have everything you need to do the task?
I have discovered that some of my clients procrastinate because they have a project on their lists rather than a task. A project requires multiple steps (tasks) to complete.
If you need to send a newsletter, but you haven’t even researched or written the content, of course you’re going to delay.
Always identify the next action for your task and make it an actionable, single step.
Appeal to Your Sense of Accomplishment
How will it feel to get this done?
Take a moment to soak it in. How will your life be better when you finish this?
Imagine crossing through that task with a fat black pen and getting on with other tasks or to the work back in your studio.
Why are you doing this?
Why is this on your list in the first place? What's it going to get you? Again, how will your life be better when it's done?
Invoke Your Vision
Is this other thing you’d rather be doing more important than what you’re procrastinating?
There might be something on your art business agenda that is more important than the task you don’t feel like doing. But I’ll bet it’s not checking your email or scrolling through Instagram.
If you’re wasting time on trivial matters, this question should bring you back into line: Is this the best use of your time right now?
Sometimes we add things to our lists that we don’t really have to do. Maybe the world will keep turning on its axis if you decide against completing that particularly disagreeable task.
What will happen if you don’t do this?
Then there are times when the ramifications of avoiding a task are enormous. People won’t hear about your work, fans will be the last to be invited to a special event, or you won’t make the sale because you waited too long to act.
Are you willing to find out?
Consider Your Future
One week/month/year from now, how will it feel to have completed the task?
One week/month/year from now, how will it feel to have neglected the task?
Getting the Difficult Things Done
This post was originally published January 23, 2013 and has been updated with original comments intact.
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The post When You Don’t Feel Like Doing Art Business Tasks appeared first on Art Biz Success.
