By A. Yanina Gomez, Ph.D.

So far, I’ve been challenging you to ALWAYS think big. Make it a habit! In previous blog posts, I shared with you 3 secrets to thinking big:

The value of creating a mental picture of your goal
Falling in love again with the real reason why you started your business by answering the question: Why Do I Want to Do This?
Create a Plan of Action – writing down your idea or goal, plugging timelines, creating a budget and defining resources. Today, I will be dissecting the last one.
So, this week’s secret is: Identify the Resources You Need to Set your Business Up for Success

As you begin to put together the pieces of your business’ puzzle, you’ll soon realize that you need the right resources to make it happen. It;s important to be a proactive art entrepreneur but also maintain a realistic approach.

What I mean by this is that we have to have an awareness that unexpected situations and hurdles may come along the way. Notice I said...

By A. Yanina Gomez, Ph.D.

I’m always excited to share with you tips and strategies to maintain a healthier and stronger mindset!

So far, we’ve been talking about challenging ourselves to think big. In previous posts, I shared with you 2 secrets to thinking big:

The value of creating a mental picture of your goal.
Falling in love again with the real reason why you started your business by answering the question:
Why Do I Want to Do This?
By now, you should have a clear idea of your business’ goal and identified all the reasons why you should pursue or continue pursuing your business. And also, you’ve identified possible consequences should you choose not to pursue or continue to pursue your business or idea.

Now it’s time to reveal secret #3: Create an ACTION PLAN

Once you have a clear picture of your idea or goal, write it down. Formalize it to make it official! Clearly state what you want to achieve always thinking it should be concrete and doable....

By A. Yanina Gomez, Ph.D.

Did you take some time this past week to create a mental picture of your goal? Remember, having a vivid and clear idea of where you want your business to be (or where YOU want to be) is the first step to thinking big!

As a reminder, last week’s questions were:
1. What do you want for your business?
2. What do you want to see happening in your business in the next 6 months?

As I’ve mentioned before, we set a barrier by the way we think about ourselves which is why you have to aim for the top, think big!

This week’s secret is… Why Do I Want to Do This?

Sometimes we are so busy with our lives and working so hard to grow our businesses that, we forget the reasons why we decided to make art or start our own business in the first place. As a result, our efforts become a tedious, boring routine. And, if you’re like me, routines can kill my inner-fire in no time. That’s why it’s important that you take some time to...

By A. Yanina Gomez, Ph.D.

How are things going with the goals you’ve set for your art career? I bet you’re pumped up but also feeling a little scary about this entrepreneurial journey. You’re putting yourself out there and you’re starting to feel a little vulnerable.

Your inner voices are getting loud reminding you of all the things that can go wrong once you put yourself out there. They are probably telling you that your art trajectory is not good enough, others are way ahead of you, so why bother trying, it’s too risky, no one will care about your art and the list goes on.

We set a barrier by the way we think about ourselves. We often prefer to play safe. And frankly, you will rarely achieve above what you set for yourself. You ought to aim for the top and think big! As big thinkers say, magic happens when you challenge yourself and think like there’s NO box.

In the next 5 weeks, I’m sharing with you each week a secret to...

By A. Yanina Gomez, Ph.D.

IF YOU WERE TO START ALL OVER AGAIN, WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY?

This question seems simple… But don’t be fooled by its simplicity as it does have deep implications.

I know, you’re probably saying…

“Why are you asking this question Dr. Gomez? Are you trying to psychoanalyze me?”

No, I’m not trying to psychoanalyze you. But what I would love to do is to encourage you to think about this question for a second. What one thing comes to your mind? Why would you do it differently? When we reflect on our pasts, it gives us a reason to live fully today while we’re building our future. Maybe your past was infused with love, encouragement and support. Or, maybe it was not quite like that at all. Maybe you experienced unpleasant situations, made foolish mistakes and missed out on amazing opportunities. 

We can’t change the past but we can certainly learn from it. We can choose...

By A. Yanina Gomez, Ph.D.

I don’t know if you’ve experienced this but, I’ve met people who LOVE to give their opinions and feedback without me asking. There are times in which they are constructive and fruitful, yet other times they are very destructive and unwelcome. People love to share their opinions. My husband and I have a teenager and a 10-years old. Still, people are happy to tell us that we should have a third child. Can you believe this? For crying out loud..!

There is an elite human species known as authentic-minded individuals. They tend to demonstrate care, compassion, honesty and legitimate desire to help and see you succeed. They might be where you want to be, have walked through your shoes or perhaps is someone who truly have your best interest in mind.

And, there are those who enjoy sharing their pessimistic and senseless opinions. Somehow, they believe that they are helping you. Those who say that art is not a real career or that your art is not...

By Sergio Gomez, MFA

If you had met me some 15 years ago, I was not nearly as organized as I am today. I am sure that in my early years as an artist I missed great opportunities just because I forgot to do one simple thing… FOLLOW UP!

Yep, following up. It’s no so hard to do but, how easy it is to forget. Back in the day, I attended openings and events where I met some wonderful people. I would put phone numbers and business cards I’ve collected from people in my pocket and then weeks later I would find them around the house. By then, I didn’t remember who the person was or whose number I wrote on the napkin. LOL!

Well, those days are over. Today, I am very good at following up with the contacts that are important to me. As a curator and gallery owner I have to tell you that when I meet an artist and I am interested in the work as a result of a good conversation, I often ask him/her to follow up with me with an email. Half of the time, I do not get anything....

By A. Yanina Gomez, Ph.D.

“I love to create, it’s my passion! But, once I finish my piece or series, I have a hard time speaking concisely about it. I just don’t feel comfortable talking about it let alone being concise.”

How can you read my mind Dr. Gomez? Yes, that’s one of my hidden talents ~ reading minds through screens! On a more serious note, if this is you, you’re not alone. Throughout the years, I’ve met quite a few artists with similar struggles. I call it the “I have a hard time speaking about my work” syndrome.

So, here are 3 suggestions to beat this crazy I-call-it-syndrome and ease the stress associated with it:

1. NO ONE knows your artwork better than you do. By default, it makes you the expert! I think that, as long as you talk about your work in an authentic and truthful manner, you will give people reasons to identify and connect with it. After all, no one can argue with you about what you say about your work....

By A. Yanina Gomez, Ph.D.

I hate my day job! I feel miserable. The only thing I really want to do is what I’m passionate about. I have all these ideas and that’s all I want to do!
Sounds familiar? Many of us want the perfect job that is aligned to our passions. We love to follow our passions. And, frankly, that’s a healthy approach. But, passion without an action plan might not be sustainable.

So, before you quit that day job that you can’t stand anymore to follow your passion, hold on to your horses and let’s go over a few things you might want to consider. Do you have a strategy, an action plan? What is your goal(s)? What steps must be taken to accomplish the goal? What strategies do you have in place to make this new venture a sustainable one? Have you considered having various income streams such as writing a book, teaching classes, consulting or if you’re an artist, commissions, hosting studio events (art & wine), etc.

Find someone who is...

By A. Yanina Gomez, Ph.D.

A while ago, I received an email from one of our followers stating that she’d created an amazing solo exhibition proposal, sent it to a few galleries and only received “No Thank You” emails. As you’ve probably guessed, she was feeling totally bummed out.

She is not the first artist coming to us sharing her feelings of frustration and disappointment. This seems to be a common issue, at least, among many artists we know.

Does her story resonate with yours?

I would love to share with you 4 suggestions to avoid feelings of frustration and defeat before they pop up:

1) Be patient, realistic and diligent! It takes time to build an art career. Overnight success is overrated and very random! If you are serious and committed to your art career, view it as such!

2) Set realistic (and challenging) goals. Write them down. There’s something about writing things down that make them official. Where do I see myself and my art career...