We artists want to answer the call to creative career change, but we also prefer to stay in familiar territory - precisely because it is familiar. The circumstances of our creative project or career direction may change drastically. If so, it is highly important that we adapt to the changing circumstances and switch course. But we have to work through resistance in order to do that, and sometimes it's hard. Fear of change can immobilize us; the antidote is to take action. Fear can actually be good for art careers in transition. Fearing things may get worse can prompt us into action. It can prompt us to get the artist support we need. But fear is not good when it's so intense that it weighs us down. Often it's unwise to wait until we are "ready" for change. It's often better to look 90 degrees to the right or left and take that first step into the unknown.
As an Artist Career and Creativity Coach, I notice that clients often feel a strong undertow toward maintaining the status quo (i.e. to keep the Creatively-draining job, or stay mired in relationships that run counter to their Creative core.) No matter what we are feeling at the moment, it's important to take a deep breath, and begin to move...slowly. The good news is: it gets easier. Once we are past the gate, the art career in transition feels easier. We come to realize that it's actually safer to stumble around in the newness than to remain where we were. We begin to wonder what the heck took us so long to move out of the stagnant position! Movement takes us out of fear and into the moment. Our energy is transferred from fear to problem solving. And the journey feels better and better.
The bad news: it ain't over yet. New desired outcomes rarely come fresh out of the gate. It takes some time. Often clients seeking art career support form a new, desirable vision that doesn't pan out in the short run. This can be very discouraging. The fear may creep back in at this point, to a rather high pitch. We might start imagining a frightening scenario. At this point, there is a strong tendency to revert back to old situations no longer working. Now it's most crucial to keep faith that the new direction will bring results. We must look into the fears born of our imaginations - stare them down, and laugh them off. It helps artists greatly to imagine actions they would take if unafraid, and then employ them.! As Eleanor Roosevelt said, "We must do the thing we think we cannot do." Many an artist in transition, upon learning to sustain through discomfort, will discover help and nourishment. They begin to feel freed up and more alive. The road is challenging, but nothing as dark as we had feared. The journey of change actually becomes something to enjoy.
Creativity is empowered when artists in transition imagine a new situation before finding it. We must bring the mind's attention away from what we are losing and shift it to what you we gaining. Change does not have to lead to something worse. If fact, much more often, it leads to something better. With a positive attitude about what is possible, we feel more energized. We will notice missed opportunities along the way--things we might have pursued and won if we hadn't waited so long to act. If we had changed course soon, we'd have moved forward sooner. If we'd entered the swing of change, less time would have been wasted in denial, hesitation and fear. When this happens, we can digest the lesson and regard it as a signal that another opportunity is around a corner. If we keep going. Creative doors shut, yes, but others open. Old beliefs will not lead to new desired outcomes. New beliefs about our creativity and art careers encourage new behaviors. When we quit returning to worn out beliefs, our behavior begins to shift. Gradually, we will notice that we are behaving differently, because changed beliefs lead to changed behaviors. We can choose to resist change, believing it will harm us. Or we can choose to embrace change, believing that a new situation will improve our creative lives and art careers. Losses teach us to change course earlier.
By learning the lessons of change, we are empowered to move out of denial the next time we face a changing situation. We take new steps with less fear and create new positive outcomes. An added benefit is we are empowered to share this learning with friends and other loved ones.
Article by Barbara Bowen, founder of: http://www.GatewaysCoaching.com - the definitive source for Art Career and Creativity Coaching and the action blog: http://www.GatewaysToAction.blogspot.com
Email Barbara your questions about creativity coaching, art career support, or creative action projects through her Web sites. She would love to hear from you.
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