Hey guys!
Okay, today’s blog is going to get a little bit deep and I’m hoping it will inspire all who need inspiring. That’s what I’m all about, after all!
So, I am currently working on some new career opportunities and have been sending out e-mails etc. as you do. As I was sending, I felt in my gut that I should actually be contacting people directly and all of that instead of the “To Whom It May Concern”, general company inbox thing but I’ll admit it, I was nervous for a number of reasons. I mentioned my activities to my sister, the fabulous life coach extraordinaire, and she, of course, brought up the fact that I should be digging deeper and making the connections.
I actually started shaking as I listened to her talk on the phone.
I told her that, even though I have read countless stories about positive interactions with big, important people, I kept hearing rejection in my head. I heard people saying, “Oh, everyone who talks to me wants something from me,” or, ”You music people, always bugging people, scrounging around for a gig,”
And it occurred to me. How much of this negative thought process, this perception of how others will react to me, is about how I might see myself and how much is a result of society’s perception of artists, or at least what I consider to be society’s perception of artists?
I felt, in my mind, that people who did not identify themselves as creators saw creators in the stereotypical “starving artist” light. Artists were the ones begging others to notice them – please listen to my album, please read my book – because what they did was of no real value – a fluffy little luxury, really – and, at any point in time, there would be millions of others trying to do the same thing. No matter how much I valued what I did and knew of its intrinsic worth in society – I can’t imagine what the world would be like without music or film or storytelling – I never thought that others, even those in the industry in a more executive capacity, would see it that way. I assumed that, in meeting with a film producer for example, I would be told, “You are the tenth person who has approached me about this today. I’m tired of all you people thinking that I’m going to give you a job.”
Do you ever feel that way? Do you feel like others may not see what you do as worthwhile so you are afraid to approach them for fear of rejection? Am I the only one?
I realized at that moment that this was the belief I had to abolish if I was ever going to get where I wanted to go.
To achieve great things, you must take some bold risks. You can start off slowly, taking baby steps towards your goal, but, as the momentum builds, you are going to have to do some things that scare you, like making that first phone call to somebody you really want to talk to but have felt might be out of your reach. And if I was going to do that, I had to adopt the belief that they might actually want to talk to me. I had to believe that I was worth their time, had something valuable to contribute, and that they would also realize this. True, I had to be prepared for the fact that not everyone may say yes, that my reaching out may not come at the most opportune time or my work might not be to everyone’s taste, but I had to have faith that there would be a place for me out there and there would be someone who would welcome what I had to offer.
So, if you catch yourself feeling this way, like others may not see you as being worthy of their attention so you don’t even try, I invite you to challenge this thought. I have put together a little affirmation of sorts that you may want to use when you feel those doubts creeping in. But feel free to make up your own!
I am a talented artist who creates out of love for the good of all.
I have something valuable to contribute to the world and I need not fear reaching out to others so that I may share it.
My creativity is a gift from the Divine and it will blossom in the right place at the right time with inspired action and faith.
There you go! Use as you wish, have a fabulous day and keep on creating!
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