Enough!

Last night’s Walking in This World group began leaning into an art marketing discussion. Typically I discourage any discussion about the scary “M” word and gently guide these discussions back into the spirituality of art and creativity, but this group seems to be especially interested in how marketing is impacting their ability to be creative, so we tip toed into the subject. This morning as I reflect on the marvelous insights they all shared I was reminded of what I feel is the first tenet of creating a living with art, defining “enough.”

Whether it is money or time, if you do not have a grasp on what is enough, how will you know when you have enough? Without that very first most important step, we can get caught up in what I perceive is one of western society’s biggest problems of struggling to have more (and more and more)! A clear definition of enough is a wonderful tool that can prevent the vicious circle of scarcity and “I am not good enough” from seeping into your thoughts.

Enough will be different for everyone, there is no single clear cut definition, it is a concept that each of us will need to cultivate as we begin considering our art marketing plan. Not too long ago, I was educated on just how different the enough definition can be for each of us. At an Atlanta art show, an hour before the show was due to open, I was twitting around my tent futzing with details, when our obviously missing tent neighbors roared up to their space in a van that looked like it may have been held together with spit and band aids. They literally chucked their tent and art on to the grass and madly began assembling. As they worked on the set up I could overhear their discussion about the desperate financial situation they were in. They had driven from Philadelphia and had broken down on the way to the show, they had spent all of their gas and hotel money on the mechanical van repairs, and without good sales this weekend they would not be able to get home or pay this months rent on their apartment. The couple was still setting up as the show officially opened, but the art show Gods were with them, and the judges did not make their rounds to our row until 2 hours later. I was amazed at how dedicated they were to their art and how much they risked just to be at this show. As we chatted with them during the day it was clear that they were very aware of their tenuous financial situation, and with a little rough math they came up with a number that represented exactly how much they needed make (to get home, and pay the rent) for this show to be successful. At the end of the day our tent neighbors were awarded a third place ribbon that carried with it a cash prize that was the exact amount they needed to get home and pay the rent. It was not first place or a huge amount of money, but for this terrific pair of artists it was enough to celebrate a very successful art show!

They specifically defined a realistic amount of enough and the Universe responded.
This was my first lesson in how important it is to define enough.

Without a clear definition of enough, how will I know if I am successful?

Without my own clear definition of enough, will I define my own creative success through other people’s eyes?