One thing I know from personal experience and from watching other talented folks around me is this ruthless truth: Your talents cannot save you.
Talent don’t get people record deals, won’t win you prizes, and doesn’t catch the eye of the head corporations. Artists, writers, architects, cooks, and the like have gone through immense tribulations and events in their life to prove so.
Noone can see your value if you don’t work hard to show it.
In the end, it’s all about how hard you work for it.
That “IT” could be: success, fame, wealth, income, happiness, etc. But without the research, without the saving, without the risk-taking, without building on what you have, what do you…have?
You cannot gain a CEO job at Apple just because you know alittle bit about marketing. You cannot attain thousands of collectors because your paintings are “more beautiful than what’s out there”. Noone hears a musician on the street corner and says, “Let’s sign them up to our record!”.
Time to get off of cloud nine, or get Hollywood out of your head and realize that the rest of the world doesn’t work that way.
Sure, there are easier and more possible ways to attain our dreams and career aspirations these days, thanks to technology advancements, but it’s really pushing it if you expect the world to be at your feet for doing very little. Work is still honored in this world. Practice, study, research, learning, mentorships, etc are going to be a part of your life.
Avoiding all the necessary steps to achieving the career you believe you were meant for means years of strife, hardship, and loss. You will sit there in your little world, eating Ramen noodles until you’re well past 50, losing even friends and family, wondering where the time went.
Achieve what is possible, certainly with hope and dreaming. I’m not saying that making that Vision board isn’t helpful.
But don’t dream without trying. Don’t expect to receive without giving towards that goal. Don’t believe it’s yours unless you truly deserve it. Life is about the journey, the learning, the work, the experience.
Not sitting on the porch, waiting for rain.
Filed under: Art Candy, artist guide, fun things, off topic | Tagged: business, dreams, goals, natasha wescoat, success, talents, the secret, vision board, work
Read Natasha's Review of Britney's Circus Album
Natasha's Art in Marley & Me movie
Great post. I have a lot of artist friends that are still struggling in their 40’s. Most of them work pretty hard at their artwork, yet they refuse to work as hard at selling their work. I have little patience for people that whine about not having money when they have such amazing talents. I am doing very well myself, but I work my but off and I have been working my but off for the past 25 years. I am talented, but no more so than my friends. Yea, I happen to love marketing, but I didn’t when I first started.
Once an artist can embrace marketing with a little enthusiasm, and see it as a creative activity then they will start to see the fruits of their labor. I think part of the problem with visual artists is that many of us are quite introverted types. At some point you have to force your way out of your shell, your studio, let down your armor, and throw it all out into the world, then step repeat, step repeat.
Very good post. I am learning this now. After 10 years of ‘burying my talents,’ I put myself out there (and my work) and was chosen out of 100’s artists to display my work (there will be 30 artists displaying their work.) I could say it ‘fell in my lap,’ and maybe this tiny part did. I mean, I had to do the work and submit it, but it was fairly easy. The panel actually had a hard time picking which one of my pieces to exhibit…and that is a good sign. It will hang in this venue for one month. It’s even up for sale, but that is not my goal just yet.
Then I panicked. Oh crap. The last time The Birmingham Art Collective put on a show, it drew 400 people! Mostly artists and collectors. So, today I put together a 4″x6″ photo with 5 of my best drawings/paintings on it, with my info, and sent an order for 40 off to Wal-Mart. My goal is to make sure I don’t have ONE left over after the show. I am an introvert, yes, but I’m not stupid. THANKS for keeping it real!!
[...] Your Talents Can’t Save You [...]