Recognize Your Accomplishments
Feb 24, 2010 Art General, Creativity
I’ve been sick for the past couple of days. First it was a sore throat, then a cough, and now sinus congestion. Not fun!
Because I’ve generally felt like crap, I’ve had to put a few of my projects on hold for a little while so that I can rest up. Which annoys me.
I, and many other artists, put a lot of pressure on myself. To produce work, to research, to learn, to blog, to network, to teach, to market. It’s overwhelming and exhausting. At any one time, I might be working on ten different projects, with another thirty floating around somewhere in my brain. Maybe I’ll get to them tomorrow, maybe in five years, maybe never. Either way, there is always a feeling of having not enough time to do everything I want to do.
Any time taken away from the pursuit of art is a frustration. It’s an opportunity that might be missed or an idea that may never come to fruition.
Whenever I feel this kind of pressure building up, I try to remind myself of all the things I’ve already done.
It’s easy to become overwhelmed and frustrated. It’s easy to focus on all the things we have yet to accomplish. And it’s easy to compare ourselves to those we see as more successful. But what about the things you’ve already done? Have you given yourself enough credit for those things?
No matter where you are in your art journey, you have accomplished something. For many people, the decision to pursue art is a major accomplishment in itself!
Take some time to think about the things you have done and what they mean in your life. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else, just focus on yourself.
- What obstacles have you overcome?
- What challenges have you faced?
- What are your successes?
- What do you feel proud of?
Before you turn your attention back to all your future projects, give yourself a pat on the back for all the things you’ve already accomplished!
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Tags: Creativity, motivation
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February 24th, 2010 at 7:58 am
Great advice…I totally know how it feels to not have enough time to do everything…definitely frustrating, feeling like I’m going to burst from ideas! However, we all have to look back, know what we’ve accomplished and how far we have come already. One step at a time!
March 3rd, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Yes, one step at a time is right! We can only do so much and each tiny step forward is an accomplishment. This is one of the lessons I’ve learned from my day job. I work with special needs kids and for them, every day events can be a challenge. It’s important to celebrate every step forward, no matter how small.