Art, Art Blogs, Freelance Artist, Good Habits, Journal, Reena Naik

6 Essential Habits for Thriving Artists

Art Blog by Reena Naik

Believe it or not, cultivating habits is crucial, especially the good ones, to become a successful artist and stand out as a unique and shining star. Here are some of my perspectives on this:

1. Immersion in Art: To truly excel, you must live and breathe art. When something becomes your passion, it becomes inseparable from you. Over time, you gain unparalleled clarity about your goals and life’s purpose, igniting a deeper passion and drive to persist with vigor and enthusiasm.

2. Discipline: Talent alone is insufficient. Success demands diligent effort. No one else will do the work for you. While luck may bring some assistance along the way, it’s up to you to establish discipline and adhere to it. Dedicate yourself to painting daily, engaging in marketing activities, networking with others, and maintaining a structured schedule. Personally, I advocate for journaling, which streamlines the process and can be customized to suit your creative rhythms and surroundings.For more insights on art of journalling, you can read my blog on the subject. Click here

3. Prioritize Marketing: In today’s saturated artistic landscape, standing out requires proactive marketing efforts. With numerous artists competing for limited gallery spots and promotional opportunities, the burden is on you to consistently create and promote your work. Make marketing a habitual part of your routine to ensure ongoing visibility and relevance.

4. Embrace Constructive Criticism: Honest feedback from trusted critics is invaluable. While we may adore our own creations, external perspectives provide essential insights. Embrace criticism with openness, recognizing it as a pathway to growth and refinement.

5. Authenticity is Key: Succumbing to external pressures or imitating others may yield short-term gains, but true longevity and fulfillment stem from authenticity. While it’s essential to adapt to market demands, never compromise your unique voice and vision. In a sea of imitations, originality is a beacon of creativity. Embrace your individuality boldly, for it is your greatest asset.

6. Financial Stability: Achieving financial stability is crucial for sustaining a career as an artist. While the path may be challenging, proper planning, investment, education, and openness to opportunities can pave the way to financial security. Make it a habit to focus on that too. For more insights on achieving financial independence as an artist, you can read my blog on the subject. Click Here

In conclusion, success in the artistic realm requires a blend of personalized strategies tailored to your unique strengths and preferences. While hard work is essential, it must be coupled with strategic planning and authenticity to achieve lasting fulfilment and success.

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Power of journaling

Are You Ready To Make Some Healthy Changes This New Year?

These past three years have changed many lives. It was like a break, so that people would realise the value of life and the value of living as a human with emotions and purpose.

Numerous people began to write about themselves and their lives. People began to reflect their emotions and character. The best way to do this is to maintain a journal.Journaling is increasing in vogue and many social media influencers are spreading this awareness.
How many of us had the habit of writing a daily dairy of thoughts and expressions of emotions and experiences.I remember, as a kid, I wrote my experiences in a journal every day. When I grew up in my teens, I used to make and follow a checklist of things to do. But eventually, after beginning to work as a freelancer, I had to go to a higher level than a “to do” list. A friend suggested a life planning journal to me and truly, the changes it made in my life were commendable. I understood meaning of manifestation.

If you are unaware about the art of journaling, especially if you are an artist and a freelancer,here are a few tips to help you benefit from this process.

  1. Choose a correct journal -You will find many journals in the market which are of different kind and type. Choosing a planner for conception is crucial. I have been using Tiny Changes and I highly recommend this planner. I am using this life planner as a journal every day, since three years and it has helped me become a better individual.
  1. Do it every day -Journaling should be part of your daily routine. It’s best to do it one day before at night, so in the morning you’re all ready to go and don’t waste any time. Planning your day ahead of time helps you start the day with greater clarity.
  1. Be honest with yourself – Journaling should help you become a better version of yourself and help you achieve your goals. It is a way in which we view all aspects of our life, like work, personal relationships, mind, body, soul, etc. Many of us lose sight of ourselves when we work and take on family responsibilities. Many become selfish and lose sight of others. Keeping a journal can help to live with balance to avoid regrets.
  1. Get better than the people around you -We live in a hyper-competitive world and we need to be ahead in order to succeed. Journalling is one way to do this because of following advantages.
    • Clear and SMART goals and way forward to achieve them.
    • Daily, monthly and yearly progress checks and actions if you deviate.
    • Feeling light while expressing thoughts on paper as it helps to relieve anxiety and depression.
    • Clarity of life and self.
    • Be more organized and more observant
    • Be more productive

Well, the advantages are numerous for writing a journal and it is certain that you will achieve something good.

There are various kinds of journals which you can choose, like free hand journal, bullet journal, reading journal, gratitude journal and art journal. Each one will help you in some way or the other.

Clarity requires conscious efforts, so choose the art of journaling for better clarity.

Have a purposeful year ahead.

-Reena Naik

Art

Financial aspects in the life of an artist

– Reena V Naik

Artists are creative people, who devote their heart and soul to create new things for the world. They help us see the world differently, and make a monotonous world lot more beautiful for us.

Being an ex-corporate and now a Professional Artist , I got to know a lot  about these  two different worlds. One which is structured and the other is totally unstructured. In an artist’s world, there are no documented processes, no rules, or defined sources of income . There are just a few who make it big and get all the limelight. The others are engrossed in their own art, somehow manage to make the ends meet. They find it difficult to find takers of their art, and live an oblivious life.

So, here are some handy tips for an artist to bring in financial stability in life:

Awareness
Awareness about what’s happening in the world. How people in various art fields are creating success stories. Learn from the experiences of others. Reading books, articles and blogs. Knowing and implementing things which you think would help you in the long run.

Investments
“You should not keep all the eggs in one basket “ – Warren Buffett
This quote is a proven fact that we should invest our hard earned money in different and diverse forms of investments. Set aside funds for investment in Stocks Fixed Deposit, Government schemes, PPF, SIPs, property, Gold, Insurance etc.

Adopt Minimalism
A part of minimalism is saving money . You will find many articles on how to save money. Unlike salaried employees, artists don’t get monthly pay cheques, hence it is essential to regularly save a portion of the income. This should be a part of your lifestyle to be able to save first before spending.

Never buy luxury on a loan
Earn it before you spend it. Anything that you want to buy (may be except some big investments like buying a property), buy it from your savings. Avoid purchasing depreciating assets on a loan .

Positive vibes
This one is my favorite as it’s like a fuel. Practice meditation. Do yoga. Listen to music. Go on drives. Do absolutely anything that has a soothing and calming effect on your soul. Keep your surroundings and your soul happy and always stay positive. For this we should make conscious choices in our life.

This article is written basis my personal experiences and learnings. Give your love if you like my thoughts.

Art

How can you be creative in a non-appreciative environment?

Do you have a reason to jump out of the bed every morning? Do you have a fire within you, which keeps you going? Does the external energies and environment pull you down? Do you often fall sick?

The above questions depict the fight between what is within us and what environment we live in. A country where, on a larger scale, appreciation doesn’t hold much importance in people’s life, staying creative becomes difficult. Being an optimist, I would like to take you through simple ways to survive an environment where appreciation is missing.

  1. IT ALL STARTS FROM YOU – “Law of attraction”, “ You see what you are”, these are simple known sayings and facts, which you can apply, in your daily life. Be positive and show gratitude to every thing you are surrounded with. You shall surely reap the fruits.
  2. REMEMBER, ITS A SLOW PROCESS – It will take time, as cultural change is a slow process. Stick to your beliefs and engage yourself in self-development.
  3. DONT ASK FOR IT – Let people appreciate you with a genuine intention. Asking for it will reduce your value or the value for your work. However, you can give them some indirect clues and see the scope.
  4. SEPARATE BUSINESS WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY – If your focus is only on people, who are in your inner circle, and you seek appreciation from them but you are continuously failing, you have to broaden your horizon. They say there is market for everyone., there is audience for each one. Your work will find its audience only if you reach out to a higher number of people.
  5. STAY POSITIVE – Staying positive is easy, as long as we are taking charge of what is happening around us and how it is impacting us from within. If you are waiting for that day to come, when everyone around you will be optimistic and this world will be full of positive vibes only, you are living in a bubble world. The more you will keep your surroundings positive the more creative and successful you will become. The simple way to do this is to self introspect. Apart from getting clarity of what do you want, also get clarity of what you don’t want.

Everyone’s situation, ideology and actions are different. I hope my thoughts will help you in staying positive and explore creativity. This planet needs evolved individuals and lots and lots of creativity.