Kate Bradley, an artist from Memphis who I coach, just received a commission for a painting.

That’s not really big news. She receives commissions all the time now. 

The thing that’s so wonderful about this particular painting commission is how it came to her.

It’s always a good idea to get work experience before graduating, so Kate served an internship in a local art gallery while earning her art degree.

Upon graduation she submitted her portfolio to this art gallery in the hope of securing representation. She was on a first name basis with the art gallery owner so it was certainly worth a shot.

Do you want to hear what Kate heard from the art gallery about her art portfolio submission for a year and half? Click here

Sound familiar?

But last week, the art gallery who didn’t bother to get back to Kate, actually referred a collector to her who commissioned a painting. 

Here’s the beautiful thing about that referral. Kate will not be consigning her work and crossing her fingers and hoping that she’ll be paid.

She’ll be paid up front. And she’ll be keeping 100% of the money, not 50%, so she can relax. 

This relaxation frees her mind to be more creative and productive.

I’m not taking all of the credit here. It’s Kate’s hard work and focus that is earning her success. 

With her newly found business savvy she’s become a much more confident young woman who enjoys more creative freedom and inspiration, and more profit.

You may be thinking. That’s great. How does that apply to me? What can I do?

Know that it is possible to earn a decent living as a fine artist. This really is the first big step. 

We are so conditioned to believe that we must “struggle” or “starve” that we set ourselves up for it.

1. Take out a piece of paper and write down every self-limiting and negative thought you have about selling your art.  Everything.  Dump it.
2. Take a break and then go back to your list.
3. One belief at a time, ask yourself “is this really true?”
4. Answer.
5. Ask, is the answer really true?
6. Repeat the interrogation until you exhaust the question. “Is this really true?”

The result. You’ll find out what unnecessary self-limiting beliefs are rattling around in your head about selling your art and what obstacles you actually must face.

We don’t succeed alone. Share this exercise with a friend. Do it together. 

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