Three Mindset Tips to Fight the Fear of Launching
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Resistance is real. It’s the invisible force that we have to fight through to accomplish our goals. For artists, a common source of resistance is the fear of launching.
Launching is when we send our work into the world, and there are many ways we do this. We could send our portfolio to a gallery, submit our work to a juried art show, post our art to social media, or publish our website. When it comes down to it, it’s very hard to send our work into the world. Lots of stuff can interfere with our intentions like tech issues, overwhelm, lack of time and procrasticleaning.
But now, let’s fight the resistance!
Tip One: Start Before You’re Ready
One of the ways resistance manifests in launching is the feeling that we’re just not ready. The art could be better, the website has flaws, and the photographs of your work aren’t perfectly lit. But I got news for you kid, you will never be ready! Half of our art refinement process happens after it’s launched, after it’s public, and after people have seen it. Then, we’ll have the time to get distance from it and gauge how people are reacting. It’s the next series of work that will benefit, and I promise you, the next series will be better! The learning process needs to happen inside risk and action.
Tip Two: Be satisfied with Good Enough
This is another source of resistance connected to being ready. It has to do with perfectionism. We sometimes feel the need to tweak a thing to death, but in essence, we’d be carving a grain of sand. I often witness a tendency to twiddle with something forever, but sometimes you just have to put it out there. Is it perfect? Unlikely. Is it good? Maybe. But is it good enough? That’s the only question you need to ask. If the answer is yes, launch it!
Tip Three: Get Comfortable with a Little Bit of Failure
It’s time to come to terms with the fact that when the work is in your studio and your hot little hands, you have full control over it. When you’ve published or exhibited it, you will lose a significant amount of control. Things might happen that you didn’t want, or even feared! Maybe your recent Instagram post tanked, or your art didn’t sell at the gallery, or it was rejected from an exhibition. These things are inevitable, and they are signs that you are taking steps in the right direction. When I was applying to a lot of juried shows and grants, I estimated that I would get a yes about ten percent of the time. That means, nine out of ten times, someone told me NO. It kind of sucks, but you get used to it. You keep going. It’s not personal, and a rejection email is a great sign! It means you put yourself out there.
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