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Be the Change-Play A Bigger Game With Your Creative Talents

Just recently got back from a fantastic marketing conference in Orlando, FL that I attended with Bob Ostrom, Aleloop, Mark Simon and a few other good friends. It was great getting out and meeting so many very bright, creative, action oriented people. Some of which we’ll be working together with in the coming months.

Clarity and Focus
I came away from this event with a ton of notes. But the over-riding message for me the first day was that of creating ‘clarity’ and ‘focus’. Not just on the goals you want to accomplish and the specific actions necessary to fulfill them. But more importantly, identifying the real reasons why you possibly are struggling more than you should in your art business. Let’s face it, we all get hung up on personal issues. I allow fears and uncertainty dictate my actions far more than I would like to admit. Let’s step into our full creative potential.

Let’s Stop BS’ing Ourselves
Here are three powerful questions that will help you get clear on why you may not be as busy, or earning the money you want to make, or not working with clients and on projects that really inspire you and light you up inside. Don’t allow self-doubt, fear, mindset or whatever, hold you back from what you really want to achieve. Give these some deep thought and be honest with yourself.  It’s usually not what you initially think they are.

  • What road blocks have held you back from achieving your goals in the past?
  • What changes are you resisting most in your business?
  • What excuses have you gotten in the habit of using to justify your lack of progress? Are the excuses really valid?

The decision to make progress in your business starts with the decision to be honest with yourself about what’s really going on.

So how’d the first day go? Watch the video to find out.

Any brave souls willing to share the answers to some of the questions above? As usual we welcome your thoughts and opinions.

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About the Author Carlos Castellanos

Carlos Castellanos is the co-creator of the nationally syndicated comic strip 'Baldo', an award winning illustrator and founder of DrawnBySuccess.com. His passion to create art on his own terms is rivaled only by his passion to help other creative freelancers overcome the roadblocks keeping them from achieving their full potential and earning the income they deserve.

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6 comments
Carlos Castellanos says April 5, 2011

The biggest excuse I use for not getting the things I want done is that of ‘lack of time’. Man, what a load of horse sh*t that is.

The fact is I have allowed myself to develop some really bad habits around managing my time the last few years. It has been costing me in effectiveness and opportunities. Time to get this under control.

Also, a good dose of fear of failure has been holding me back lately. Not sure where that’s coming from. will have to stew on that for a while.

And of course now I’ve gone public with it, so it creates a sense of accountability and kicks the fear issue in the teeth.

Reply
Bob Ostrom says April 5, 2011

As you saw in the video I learned that it’s okay to actually leave the office once and a while. Attending this event really showed me that getting out, meeting new people and stepping a little outside my comfort zone can have great results.

I plan to get out of the office more often and to try to attend more events in the future.

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Lauren Chaikin says April 6, 2011

You gentlemen are hitting the nail on the head concerning procrastination. I can be a master procrastinator due to the sane feelings of potential failure and perfectionism. Excuses are really easy to make and put stock in, so they become one’s bad habits. Thanks for the article!

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Justin S Barrett says April 6, 2011

Great post and video, guys! When it comes to using the sparse time that I have for my voiceover business outside of my day job and family time, I have no problem getting urgent things done (like the agency audition that needs to be in by the next day). However, there are important things that have been on my list for a long time that haven’t yet been touched. I need to be more mindful of how little time I have, and dedicate that time to accomplishing the most important things that will benefit my business.

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Sparky Firepants says April 7, 2011

Oh, man. I wish I had known about this event. Looks like you guys are having an awesome time.

One of the things that’s held me up in the past is just getting my work into the hands of the right people (aka, buyers).

I’ve let myself procrastinate (there’s that word again) on getting my work into the right hands in favor of doing the easy stuff, like blog posts, Twitter, or messing around with my CafePress store.

Bob really hit the nail on the head about getting out of the house. It’s hard. But when I look back at the times I did, I can point to opportunities that came directly from interacting with people in real life. It’s pretty cool.

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Marty Qatani says April 9, 2011

My roadblocks include having to work a day job and squeezing my “freelance / projects” time into a few hours at night, after being with the family for a few hours and hopefully hitting the day job. I spent way too much time in a chair during the day and I’m not in my early 20’s so I do need to get exercise.. (my doctor says so). Procrastination, especially with Facebook & Twitter. I had convinced myself that they, as well as LinkedIn, are necessary marketing tools, but I’ve recently decided to see how much time certain people whose career path I’m trying to follow (Hello Carlos and Bob) spend at these sites (no, I’m not stalking, but I am studying), and have decided maybe I’m putting too much emphasis on them. AND I get distracted by New Ideas all the time… I’m working on a schedule that hopefully allows me to work on multiple projects at the same time without sacrificing quality.

If I’m resisting any changes in the business, it’s due to a lack of funds to pursue them.

If I have an excuse for my lack of progress, maybe it’s because I’m easily distracted by new ideas ? Does that count as a lack of focus ? Just afraid of watching good energy vanish in the air.

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