Develop your sense of determination and persistence, especially when things don’t go as planned. Sometimes it seems that all of your artist friends, are experiencing the fame and financial success that you seek. This feeling of defeat is the very moment to take stock and to really take control. You can take control by keeping in contact with your clients and collector base. Do everything that you can to remain positive. This will include having the right amount of exercise and eating the right food.

You must remember that everything in life happens in cycles. You will have highs and lows in your career. Successful individuals are the ones who persevere and don’t get swallowed up by any negativity that the lows can bring.

This is a really good thing to remember. It’s very possible that at some stage reasonably early on in your career you will receive an acknowledgement in some form of prize or good review all sales for example. This may continue and it may not. I know in my own life I have had many ups and downs in my career. I have won major significant prizes and enjoyed the journey along the way, always mindful that it’s impossible to sustain a constant high.

If you are prepared to also ride the lows, or another way of putting it, cope with the lean times when not much is happening, then you are really on your way. I’m reminded of a number of Hollywood actors who have made the comments repeatedly, that the success in that field often depends upon how the actor or actress can cope with the rollercoaster ride particularly when it’s doing a flat liner for a while. And that is really the test. It is not much different for artists and actors really, it seems that those who can’t cope with their successes, which is really being able to cope with the lean times following successes, are the ones who resort to alcohol and drugs as a way to numb out the disillusionment of their experience.

Learn to find a balance. It’s inevitable that you will have highs and lows and the lows usually come in the form of what I call flat liners, or times where there’s just not much going on and it seems that inspiration is hard to find. Just bear with it and if possible find nourishing ways to treat yourself so that you don’t end up another statistic. I use meditation during these times and lots and lots of exercise and good food.

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