The Art of Being Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

I do a lot of my best thinking while I’m walking and a few days ago I realized that it had been a little over 3 years since I sold my first painting. That made me think of the long list of “firsts” since I started an art business. Taking a deeper dive into the numerous events and experiences, I thought about what my answer would be if someone asked “what is the best advice for someone wanting to grow a successful art business?” So many answers are obvious; know your why, be committed, be persistent, etc… Then I thought about some key moments on my journey. Forks in the road that could have led to a dead end for my business if I hadn’t made the choice I did. Want to know the key to making choices that will result in business growth instead of stagnation? When presented with opportunities, you can’t say NO because it’s uncomfortable. You need to learn how to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. Notice I’m not saying to learn to ditch fear, that’s probably not going to happen. Learn to be comfortable having it around, it often means growth is in your future.

Here’s a list of some road forks I encountered and chose the uncomfortable: making my 1st inquiry about placing art for sale in a gallery; committing to my first art market even though I knew nothing about doing a pop up; posting a reel of me talking and/or painting; committing to an exhibit when I was afraid of not being able to produce enough quality work before the deadline; going to a weeklong workshop taught by an artist I’d admired for years even though I was terrified to paint in front of her and the other artists; choosing to take the opportunity to have a very successful local artist critique a painting; saying yes to an opportunity to be interviewed on live tv; saying yes to collaborate on a LIVE IG; hosting an Artwalk even though I was worried about no one coming; signing a lease on a studio space; etc…

Here’s a list of some of the payoffs:

• Many friendships and connections

• 2 Exhibition opportunities

• More sold art than I can count

• Hosting an all female group exhibition, curated by @ellemnop, in my studio space that had over 100 guests on opening night. I met @ellemnop at a market I almost said no to because I didn’t think I was ready.

• Personal growth

• Fortitude. I know the struggles and difficult moments when I chose to say yes. I will never forget how uncomfortable I felt, and I also will NEVER forget how proud I am of myself for making those hard choices. I now have the benefit of seeing the fruit down the road, the payoff. Those payoffs are there for you too if you decide to be comfortable being uncomfortable.

Be unique,

Lori