This post is by guest author, Sandy Askey-Adams, PSA.  This article has been edited and published with the author's permission. You should submit an article and share your views as a guest author by clicking here. We've promoted this post to feature status because it provides great value to the FineArtViews community.  If you want your blog posts listed in the FineArtViews newsletter with the possibility of being republished to our 20,000+ subscribers, consider blogging with FASO Artist Websites.  This author's views are entirely her own and may not always reflect the views of BoldBrush, Inc.

We all need a pep-talk at one time or another no matter what we do in life or who we are.

Unexpected happenings come into our life  ----  good or bad. Most of us want to know how we can be the best we can be.  We usually strive for that achievement toward whatever it is that our heart and mind is set upon.  It can be a challenge.  We need to take the time to consider what we want our own art work to achieve.

We want to be successful in whatever we set out to do.   One of the greatest keys to success in life is believing in yourself and that you can win.  Yes, You Can Win.  There will not always be someone around to cheer you on, so you will have to give yourself a pep talk.  You can call it,  "The Do-It-Yourself-Pep-Talk."  We should not need to depend upon someone else to "get us going" toward our own goals.

So, how does one get this confidence?  Adequate preparation and this means education, taking the time to learn, to study, to experiment, to practice, to be with other artists, and to take your goals seriously.  Do not short-change yourself.  Do not walk away from a challenge.  Practice, try again and again to overcome that troublesome area.  Through taking your art seriously, with drive, determination and inspiration, you will develop the needed skills to reach that confidence level and reach your goals.  Act!  Action will help.  Be dedicated. Familiarize yourself with all the ins and outs of whichever medium you work in.  Don't treat your art as a casual activity.  Aim to be highly motivated.  That can come with inner self-confidence which we build through hard work and study.  One thing leads to another. 

Passion is the key word.  A very important and motivating word.  You recognize it when you have it.

Be Positive.

Envision yourself doing your best with the best outcome.  Do not dwell on past failures.  What is done is done.  Take and use what you have learned. There is always somethng to be learned.  Move forward -- onto the next project.  Remind yourself that you can feel good about parts of the art work that turned out well.   Besides, failure can lead to success. 

No matter how small, you still learned something.  It was not wasted time as we may think it is.  Even in what you may find to be a mistake, discoveries can be found through it and vitilized toward the next work of art. 

You have your own gut feelings about your art work so you should feel good about what you do.  That is not to say to be satisfied with where you are.  Strive to keep improving and moving toward your goals.   Self-confidence will give you a sure hand toward that success.   Remember the  "Do-It-Yourself-Pep-Talk."

Support other artists.  Acknowledge their accomplishments with honesty and sincerity.  Confidence is contagious.  You'll get back what

you give. Spread it around.  Your artist friends and you will reap the benefits

Entering Art Show Competitions

Whoa!!   That pep talk to ourselves is sure needed here.  Well, maybe not for those that already have that glowing self-confidence. But, I have a feeling even they need that pep talk at times, too. 

Then there is the Fear factor.  You have to haul out the badge of courage from within yourself.  It has always been said that if we don't enter, we never know.  And those times we don't enter, we just keep wondering if we would have been accepted or not. . . and then we say to ourselves, well, maybe next time I'll enter.  That is a false pep talk to yourself because it comes at the wrong time. . . and you can just put it aside and not think about it.  Till the next time.  

Be courageous.  If you enter, something exciting and wonderful could happen. Give yourself a chance.  Give yourself a pep talk about entering the show competition.   Competition can make you a better artist, even if you think otherwise.   You learn along the way in many ways. You have avoided the pressure of entering, but you may also have avoided the joy of acceptance and one of the processes of growing as an artist.

OH, and also, don't use the word "Rejection."   Throw it out of your vocabulary.  It no longer exists.  Instead use the two words "Not Accepted."  See the difference.  The words "Not Accepted" somehow do not seem to sound as negative.  Besides, not being accepted does not mean failure.  We really must get that into our minds.  Truly, we must.  We mope around for how many days when our work is "Not Accepted" thinking we are the worst artist.  

You are already a winner by doing the art work and entering the competition.  Plus, no one knows why this or that work of art was accepted or not.  Heck, the judge could pick totally different paintings if the show was held with the same art works by the same artists five months down the road.  Not being accepted could also mean they only had hanging space for so many art pieces, too...or too many of the same type of subject, or medium etc..etc... 

So, be courageous and enter.  Give yourself the pep talk.  Move forward.  Do not let judges or critics stop you.  Through much studying, your gut will eventually tell you what is good in your work or not.  And, along with that will come the self-confidence. This is very important.  Do not knock yourself down.  Get back up and cheer yourself on with that pep talk to yourself. Keep your enthusiasm for new experiences -- even if it means trying a different medium or subject matter. 

Do not concern yourself of a role as an artist so says George Bellows:  "The artist is the person who makes life more interesting or beautiful, more understandable or mysterious, or, probably, in the best sense, more wonderful . . . It is therefore only of importance for the artist to discover whether he or she be an artist."

Michael Ward wrote the following back in 1986,   "Every artist, past and present, has something to offer.  True, every artist is different, but most of us face the same challenges inherent in "Stretching" the creative process.   And keeping some pretty basic thoughts about art within reach keeps us on the right track, but --paradoxically--within a limitless field of creativity and exploration."

You do not even have to wear a cheering outfit to give yourself a pep talk.

Artfully yours,

Sandy

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Editor's Note:  You can view Sandy's original post here.