Angela Granger

“How will you live, knowing that you will die?”  What?!  Yes, death and taxes, two things of which we can be certain.

What does THAT have to do with the business of art?

Well, for me, everything.  Because that’s the question I asked just before I decided to commit to becoming a successful full time artist.

How did I come to ask that question?  I was toiling away in a cubicle that makes the movie “Office Space” look like a party.  I was a project management consultant working at the California Franchise Tax Board.  And it was beyond dull. It was seriously depressing.

I remember two stark details.  The mound of staples that carpeted the floor removed from millions of tax returns, the evidence of why the returns have “do not staple” printed in the upper left hand corners. And I also recall the image of  two slow moving female government employees who were so fat that they had to enter the bathroom stall sideways. Clearly they ate their pain and boredom.

But I digress.  I also worked with two wonderful colleagues who were the source of profound inspiration. Both were stage IV breast cancer survivors. And naturally, while working there, we would bitch about our jobs.

But one day I asked one colleague, Angela, “What would you do if you were guaranteed success?” She said, “I’ve always wanted to be an interior designer.” I replied, “You’ve just dodged death. Why don’t you just do it?”  Her answer, “Fear,” with a capital ‘F’.

I was stunned.  Is following your passion really any scarier than the certainty of death?  I realized that continuing to toil in that cubicle, while it was a choice, was certainly scarier than death.

It was in that moment that I decided that I was not going to leave this life without giving it my very best.  I was determined to live my best life. This was my responsibility to myself, my purpose.

After I made that decision I stopped bitching about my job and I started working on my escape plan to build a life as a successful artist.  I didn’t know exactly how I would do it but I was committed, so I just knew that I would figure it out.

Now answer the question.  How will you live, knowing that you will die? And what are you waiting for?

In honor of my friend and inspiration, Angela.

"When bankers get together they talk about art. When artists get together, they talk about money." -Oscar Wilde

Sound familiar?

When I started to paint again I joined an “artist support group.” It was horrifying. All they did was whine about money.

It had taken all my courage to put myself out there and to start painting again after a seven-year absence from the easel.  This group was doing nothing to help me feel supported and I couldn’t support them because they were so invested in complaining and being victims. I realized that keeping this kind of company would keep me in the same space.

So I dropped out and started to interview successful and reasonably happy artists.  Each was generous with their time and advice.

When I met Wayne Thiebaud he had reached the pinnacle of his career with a retrospective of his life’s work traveling the nation’s most significant art institutions.  His friend and colleague, Gregory Kondos, had a huge backlog of private commissions and real estate investments in several countries.  And when I met with Donna Billick, she told me how she had created a number of lucrative public work commissions and her gallery sales were nothing that she relied upon but simply icing on the cake.

Donna and her brother, Brian Billick, a NFL football coach, discussed their winning strategies every week.  She said that so much of success is one’s attitude.  Donna looked me straight in the eye and said, “If you want to succeed, you’ll need to take the reins.”

Standing on the street in downtown Davis, California, across from the Natsoulis Gallery, I thanked Gregory for advising me.  Then he made me promise him that if he helped me succeed that I must promise him that one day I would help other artists succeed.

In part that conversation with Gregory Kondos is what inspired me to created ArtistsWhoTHRIVE.com. My intention is to change the conversation in a virtual community of entrepreneurial creatives.  I invite you to join that conversation at ArtistsWhoTHRIVE.com

My artist clients report via email at least two successes they have experienced in the previous week.  This keeps them focused on what they are doing right and helps them maintain momentum.

It’s a valuable exercise.  Share you most recent artistic sucess below and notice how it changes your focus and elevates your energy.

By sharing our success, insights, and resources we cultivate a positive and productive on-line global community of thriving artists.

The Artists Who Thrive manifesto.

* We believe that we have shaped our artistic voice and that we have something to say.

* We believe we offer creative expression that adds value to the world and therefore the marketplace.

* We believe that we are creating and growing thriving businesses.

* We articulate our unique selling proposition to our defined market.  We know our tribe and we celebrate our tribe.

* We believe that we will not be discovered but our value can if we promote it.

* We believe that the traditional model of artist representation is too often broken and is not sustainable.

* So instead of the permission based scarcity model, we develop our own platform and go for the Blue Ocean Strategy.

* We believe in getting a nice piece of the pie in the art market.

* We are confident and optimistic that we are in control of our destiny.

* We know that in the new economy “the right brainers will rule the world.”*

* “A Whole New Mind” by Daniel Pink

I invite you to join this forum and post your question or comment to this whining free zone.

Post your specific questions, share your success, resources and insights, and ask for support.