Facing Your Fears In An Uncertain World
We live in uncertain times. But people have always lived in uncertain times. If there wasn't the threat of war, there was the threat of famine, or plague, or some sort of catastrophe. Today we turn on the news, or go on the internet, and we are assaulted with instant reporting of frightening events around the globe. It seems like madness is everywhere. But it's always been that way, it's just that now we are able to see things live and in surround sound on a big screen, safe in our own homes. But are we really safe? Or are we just frightened by this instant connection to the world around us.
As artists, we face fears everyday:
Will my work be rejected?
Will I be inspired and creative today?
Will somebody steal my ideas?
Will somebody get more publicity or shows than me?
Will I be able to make enough money and pay my bills?
Will the world continue to fall all around me?
Many of these fears are real, but some of them are magnified out of proportion by today's instant 24/7 connected world.
The Antidote to Fear
The antidote to fear is to keep on working. Keep putting yourself out there everyday. If you give up and sit in a corner, nothing good will happen and all your fears will come true. Keep practicing your craft. Get out those brushes, your dancing shoes, that old typewriter, your saxophone. Get them out and plunge once again into your artistic world. Connect with your spirit and create.
Remember, even if what you do connects to only one person, you may have changed their life for the better. Keep working, keep connecting. If a million of us do that each day, imagine how many connections are made and how many lives are changed. And the effect is cumulative, building up, growing—one connection, then two, then ten, then twenty, then 100, then 5,000, and on and on.
When all you can see is doubt and fear, remember your art as a spiritual practice, and why you ever started on this amazing journey.
~ MB
As artists, we face fears everyday:
Will my work be rejected?
Will I be inspired and creative today?
Will somebody steal my ideas?
Will somebody get more publicity or shows than me?
Will I be able to make enough money and pay my bills?
Will the world continue to fall all around me?
Many of these fears are real, but some of them are magnified out of proportion by today's instant 24/7 connected world.
The Antidote to Fear
The antidote to fear is to keep on working. Keep putting yourself out there everyday. If you give up and sit in a corner, nothing good will happen and all your fears will come true. Keep practicing your craft. Get out those brushes, your dancing shoes, that old typewriter, your saxophone. Get them out and plunge once again into your artistic world. Connect with your spirit and create.
Remember, even if what you do connects to only one person, you may have changed their life for the better. Keep working, keep connecting. If a million of us do that each day, imagine how many connections are made and how many lives are changed. And the effect is cumulative, building up, growing—one connection, then two, then ten, then twenty, then 100, then 5,000, and on and on.
When all you can see is doubt and fear, remember your art as a spiritual practice, and why you ever started on this amazing journey.
~ MB
Art for Spirit's Sake / Spirit for Art's Sake
Beautifully put and so necessary to hear! Thank you.
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