5 Ways to Stay Comfortable and Stagnant

“The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.”

~ M. Scott Peck

Energy goes to where your attention flows.

You need energy to create. Period.

Energy to vibrate and attract others to you doesn’t unexpectedly flow to you.

It flows to those that believe it’s possible, to those that open their channels, those that make room for new ideas, and to those that work consciously, and unconsciously toward that energy/goal.

Did you know that money is an energy? Spending money creates a void or a vacuum for more money to flow back in.

Just like the story about Nan-in, the Japanese master of the Meiji era, who poured his visitor a cup of tea. He continued to pour and the tea began to overflow. The visiting professor said “It is overfull. No more will go in!” “Like this cup, ” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup.”

Mindsets are energy. Being open to learning more, to new ideas, to new possibilities in your work, will bring those things to you.

Getting the energy to flow back to you is your goal. Then having ways to catch or receive that energy is essential. Otherwise it’s just overflows and eventually the flow stops because there is no pull for more.

You are telling the universe that you are full and want no more abundance. You are comfortable!

5 Ways to Stay Comfortable and Stagnant

1. Just Offer Your Work on Etsy or the Occasional Show
   Yep, you’ll be easy to find, just like that needle in the haystack, among 2 million other jewelry artist listings. Not a jewelry artist? The numbers are still horrible in other categories. But no worries, you will magically stand out to capture that sale.

   You must have your own domain/website. There are several options that have nominal costs. This is no longer a dreadful and expensive experience. It’s a way to capture leads, build your list, direct possible sales, show off your work that you sold, and best of all…

   Get others to know, trust and like you!

2. Don’t Get Involved in Social Media
   Don’t worry your customers will find you at your local show or on Etsy. You do not need to connect with all those millions of other people. Your marketing pool is big enough. Yep, these days, people love to buy from those they don’t know, don’t trust and don’t have a reason to like.

   Did you know that 4 billion things were shared on Facebook today! Or that 140 million tweets are sent per day. Or that Pinterest is pulling in more page views than Etsy per day?

   Many artists don’t understand social media or why they should be interested in being part of it. The ones that are selling their work do!

3. You Don’t Need a List
   No one wants to hear from you regularly. Once or twice a year is plenty.

   But, of course, you will be the first one they think of when they are considering where they should buy that gift for their mom.

   Did you know that email is still the number one way to connect with your customers? If you don’t take an active role in building your list how can you communicate with them?

   Don’t count on them seeing your Facebook post or that Tweet. People are busy these days. You need a way to capture their information and have a professional way to communicate with them regularly.

4. Don’t Worry, You Are Doing It All Perfectly
   There are never any good ideas that come from being in a group of your peers at a class. Or from the teacher for that matter.

   Staying in your studio, playing the “starving artist” scarcity card, always brings abundance.

   Who doesn’t love speedy results. Money loves speed. Energy loves speed. Remember that money is energy and it likes to flow. By investing money in your education to become a better artist or a better business person, you will create a space for the money to flow back into.

   You open yourself to that energy. Turning it off is like shutting off the faucet to the flow of money in your life.

5. Don’t Help Anyone Else or Provide Any Value for F.R.E.E.
   Keep all those ideas to yourself. And while you are at it, no one likes to be complimented on their work or introduced to your connections. They also love it when you ask them to admire your work, buy your work, or to look at all the awards you’ve won…every day.

   Actually the more you give to others the more you get. This goes for money, time, pleasantries, and labor.

   Share your how-to tutorials, help someone in need of solving a technical issue, provide a blog where you provide value, and promote other artists (don’t forget your favorite vendors too).

   This is how people decide that they know you, like you and trust you.

   This is how you stay uncomfortable, get your energy flowing and create abundance.

Don’t forget to leave a comment and get entered to win a F*R*E*E give-away from Whole Lotta Whimsy! Drawing is February 15th, 2012!