The Artists Business Lounge
Art Business Coaching for Visual Artists
Did you know that your subconscious mind is in charge of 97% of your actions and only 3% of your brain’s processing power, is used by your conscious mind?
Sure that 97% controls things like breathing and that 3% is pretty powerful.
But it is only 3%, which is pretty tiny. So that means strategy, ‘how-to’ information, talent and willpower will only get you so far – unless your subconscious is also on board.
That’s why I am a believer in skillset, toolset and mindset as part of any development work.
You can be the smartest or most talented person in any room and still not succeed if your subconscious is not on board.
Some people are fortunate enough to have a positive subconscious that is nicely aligned with their conscious desires and beliefs. But most of us need to work on this.
Why?
Well because our brains love to do two things – 1) prove us right and 2) keep us safe. And because parts of our brain are a little.. well primitive… it sees threats all over the place. This is even more true if there has been any kind of trauma or perceived trauma in our lives.
So our brains reaffirm our beliefs about ourselves no matter if those beliefs are wrong (that’s called confirmation bias) and it likes to keep us well in our comfort zone where there is little risk of getting into danger.
BUT that’s also a sure-fire way to not grow and expand, which is frustrating for most people, but especially frustrating for artists.
Think about it for a moment. If your creative practice is limited by sticking with what you know and staying safe, your chances for creative joy and fulfilment are not great. And then add on the fact that for artists they have a whole career of putting themselves and their work ‘out there’ whether in galleries, people on the other side of computer screens, to gallerists, collectors, grant assessors, curators and so many more.
You need to be a bit fearless and resilient don’t you think? Or at least be willing to act in fear a bit.
But there is good news
The good news is – just as you can increase your skillset and toolset – your mindset and subconscious are open to rewiring and it is something you can do.
How do you know when your subconscious isn’t supporting your success? Some giveaways are
- When you set goals and can’t follow through
- When you find yourself resisting taking action even when you really want to
- When your self-belief and confidence is low
- Your internal chatter is telling you things like: “Nobody will pay that for your art.” “You didn’t get in because you are not good enough” “They will say no so why bother putting yourself out there?” or similar.
These are all signs your subconscious is not on board with you being successful.
What can you do to build your confidence and get your subconscious on board for your success?
One method of rewiring your subconscious is:
1) Awareness and
2) Reframing
In step one, you scrutinise your language. Paying attention to internal thoughts that are not helpful (e.g. you’re useless, you’re no good at… you don’t deserve…. you’ll never…. etc), or when you say unhelpful limiting statements out loud (e.g. – for example I can’t.., I’m no good at.. I’m stupid… They’ll never buy it… I’ll never get in etc
In step two, you take that limiting statement and create a new positive statement to replace it. That statement maybe something like “I don’t know how to do X yet, but I am learning”, or a more confident “There is no reason I can’t do X, I have succeeded before, I can succeed now” You can create whatever statements make sense for you
Then each time the unhelpful thought or statement comes up, you stop and consciously repeat the new positive statement.
Eventually, the new helpful statement will become the default habit and your internal and external dialogue will have shifted.
Neat, huh?
Now doing it just once won’t shift anything. If you have limiting unhelpful thoughts, how long have you been repeating these to yourself? Possibly a very long time. So this needs to be something you do over a period of time.
You can also do this exercise by journalling the limiting beliefs and then rejecting them by crossing them out and replacing them with a new positive statement. You can even say out loud something like ‘I no longer believe… and then say the limiting statement’ while you cross it out.
You can be as woo or as practical about this as you like. As long as you are paying attention and reframing your limiting beliefs, your brain won’t mind which method you use.
Is there another way?
Sure, some people like to meditate, some like to work with a counsellor or therapist, or life coach, or…
If you want another way to get deeper and rewire your limiting beliefs quicker is hypnosis.
Hypnosis is not magical or wishful thinking and is used by more successful people than you might imagine.
As a very special part of The Artists Business Lounge offering, I have collaborated with a Rapid Transformational Therapist to create a guided hypnosis recording specifically for artists and the kinds of limiting beliefs artists report having. There is more information on the SHOP page about this collaboration and you don’t have to be a part of any program to purchase this special recording.
If you aren’t ready for hypnosis, use the two-step method outlined above and keep it up for at least 21 days. You should experience some shifts whichever method you choose.
Until next time, happy creating
Amanda
If you’re ready to work on your mindset, here are some options for you:
Purchase our new guided hypnosis audio. Created specifically for artists to boost their confidence, income and success. Created in collaboration with Samantha Ferres. Visit the Shop to find out more
Enquire about joining The Artists Business Lounge Success System, where mindset is core to the program along with skillset and toolset.
Reach out to work wiht me one on one.