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Lesson Info

Celebrating Your Tribe

All right, well, welcome everyone. Welcome everyone in the studio audience. Thank you again for taking the time out of your very busy schedules to participate and contribute and to be open and vulnerable and tell your stories and thank you everybody at home uh, it's your first day. Thank you if he hung in. Man, congratulations again for investing in yourselves and investing in your creative enterprise. Hopefully you will find this well worth it. I think some of us in the studio audience said we has been worth it so far. You learned something? Definitely. Okay, so I just want to remind everybody about what my mission is it? My personal mission is and I want to just find out if you're willing to join me. As I said, my personal mission is to eliminate the starving artist mythology. I hope that you found it's really a big fat lie, right? This whole idea of I must suffer and I can't I can't dirty my hands with money. Do you see how it's a big fat lie and you don't have to swallow that lie, ...

right it's the opposite it's really the opposite? The opposite is true, so I just want teo, you know, invite you to join me on this mission I want to actually complete this mission by by the end of my life that's what I want to accomplish and I can't do it alone I can't do it one artist at a time so that's why I'm really happy to be joining forces with creative life whose mission or so for a statement and they're about pages and I'll repeat this because it's so key every artist is an entrepreneur and every entrepreneur is an artist we could see that in the bay area hate the all these amazing startups that happened here it's a force to be reckoned with the creativity and the entrepreneurship that exist in this it's like a crucible it's wonderful and we're all were here that smack in the middle of it here in san fran so so again who is this for? Who is this for this is for a painter we've got a musician they've got photographers we've got a jewelry designer you know we've got crafts people we've got really it's this or anybody who wants to create a creative enterprise it's profitable that's what this course is for so if you were here yesterday again congratulations if you weren't you khun still learn some really valuable things today um we're going to meet we're going to meet another artist actually musician a music producer my nickname for him his grammy dan he's gonna be on later today we're gonna go through some of the process of selling right and we're gonna take that icky kind of recoil away from selling uh, there's a book that I recommend everyone, which is called to sell a human by daniel pink. So if you think you're not selling, think again, everybody sells everybody sells and when to relax the whole conversation around selling because really, all it is is having a guided conversation. You don't need to manipulate anybody, you don't need to do any of that, you could do it in a very ethical and grounded way, and hopefully based on the examples that you got yesterday and the exercise you did last night. Really, the way to success is to be grounded in your personal mission and your values and never compromise. The whole notion of selling out is also a big fat lie and that's why I gave that book away for free for anyone who r s v p to any one of our svp for this course gets my book, sell your art without selling out it's, a participatory kind of collaborative endeavor and meaning that I'm not writing the book by myself. I want you to have a conversation about what selling out means I want to challenge the rules or embrace the rules that I live by and that I've laid out in the book and then please submit them toe answers at making art making money. With your permission I'll be including them in the second version of the book is going to break the rules about writing a book why do I have to write a book right? Why can't I want you to know I don't want you to read what I've said I want you to think about what I've said I want to hear what you have to say so that's why I chose that format um again this is about taking action it's all good and fine you thought this was entertaining you like a magic one you know we thought the host for funny but really it only matters if you take action and that means just one small action khun b a meaningful step to the next action in the next action one of the other things that were going to be focusing on today is how to create a smarter goal because you know action is really it can meander could be meaningless if it's not pointed towards a smarter goal or gonna learn what a smarter goal actually means so I would like to dio is I started to craft this credo for artists who thrive and I want to invite I want to invite us to take a look at that again artists who throw to take complete responsibility for your success and happiness does it feel like you can take more responsibility for your success now that you don't have to be saved or discovered that it's in your hands it's all in your hands you don't need permission from anyone to go make art and make money you don't need permission from anyone and remember I've student of luxury market the fact is is that people are buying art they're buying it so dispense with that scarcity mentality I create you know it's about creating value above and beyond your art self right? Did you get that with some of the examples of the artist that we talk teo like jenny mcgee and kate bradley yes they're you know they're amazing artists are very, very talented but they create value above and beyond their art when you're standing in your truth and your values are you afraid of judgment? Do you really care no cheryl do you care? You know you don't care right very powerful if you stand in your truth no one can knock you over you're immune from criticism but if you are begging for the critics permission you have compromised yourself right? You need everyone to like you you just you need to just your tribe you just need to celebrate your tribe not celebrating every tribe you can't celebrate every tribe and navajo cannot celebrate a mohawk tribe right right is all about freedom I would say freedom is a really important value to a lot of people here, right I'm gonna gain your freedom through business abby that's how you're gonna get free and can you see how marketing is art itself? Can you see that? It isn't it delightful to get paid eyes there anything more expiring can you see where relationships equal revenue that you don't do this alone that you need collectors you need relationships with collectors you need relationship with your fans you need relationship with mentors, teachers, other people you know, like only the only reason creative live works is because all these people have a good healthy working relationship and they have to work together to put on this amazing productions being broadcast all over the globe. Not one person did that alone could take this whole team of people coming together with a unified mission and purpose and again every entrepreneur every artist is an entrepreneur and every entrepreneur is an artist. I get that. Okay, good. All right, so what I'd like to dio because I gave everyone an assignment last night and the assignment is not really so much to figure out how you're going to introduce yourself. The assignment was really to understand where have you suffered the most in your life again I recommend victor frankel's book man's search for meaning from that from his experience in the nazi concentration camp he realized and he observed that the, uh prisoners in the concentration camp who tended to survive uh were those who found meaning in their suffering so you can take that and you can actually transform it and actually not only heal yourself but inspire others and our jobs as artist once again is we sell feelings we don't sell widgets, right? We sell emotion and specifically we inspire so we have to feel how we feel we have to feel our emotions and be very comfortable with that so that others can be feeling what we're putting out there and khun be inspired so the assignment was really toe understand, you know, write a lot either there's also a buddhist meditation called the death meditation it's kind of similar and it's a purpose so you're to write a letter and if you haven't done this, do it later it's fine um if you've done it great but the the idea is to imagine that you're telling, um someone who's younger than you about the most painful time in your life when I coach artists one on one, I usually have them pick three of the most painful times in their lives and then take a break because you're probably gonna cry, which is good because it means you're getting at the truth if you start crying, walk away, take a break and then you ask yourself, what did I learn? What did I learn from those painful times and you tell that fictitious child and here's what I learned so that or in the buddhist approach to this the idea is to actually understand where you've suffered the lessons you've learned and so when you are reborn when you reincarnate you won't make those mistakes again because you've learned these lessons so did everyone do that assignment good okay, so I'm going teo hand my wand off never supposed to surrender your power you only use your powers for good I only use my powers for good but don't cross me because I will smack a house down on you if you have it coming that is yes yes indeed so all right, well let's let's carry on then let's talk about the assignment was raise your hand if you did the assignment in it and it did something for you. Oh, good. Okay, well that's a good sign. All right. Um tara let speaking with you you did the assignment just tell us about it. What was it like? What did you get from it? It was, uh, good to put it in perspective on a on a long line of my life uh, medium long anyway so that it was a different perspective so more from within the suffering from outside the suffering and um I realized how far I've come in my journey a journey and forgiveness and moving on to feeling their healing yeah if you help facilitate that process for other people do you think it would heal them yeah you think to be of service yeah do you think this is a mission that you would carry on for the rest of your life? Is that was that worth the price of admission? There's nicole pretty amazing right and you can integrate your talent right? Your creative talent your photography and you can make it be anything right as long as it's a value to other people go back to my rule it's not about you it's about them right? So it starts with you right? You have to start with yourself but then you could be of service to others in such a beautiful way I love it I love it can also like immediately when we were just you were starting to shape your value proposition right now but I bet a number of us could already think of people who have been adopted who this may be of service to I have two nieces from guatemala you know they're like we're all these tall british people make these little brown girls and they're you know they're they're probably looking around at some point and they'll want to know where that come from and income from these people what am I doing drinking this much tea right like we know might my sister had contact with one birth mother and then could never find her again be at my other niece there's no no information whatsoever right? So there's just pieces to put together for them and I'm sure they'll have questions at some point so probably referring my sister to you its employees see I'm already can you see how it is already working when you're talking about flowers and stuff I don't know what the hell did I mean it wasn't that it wasn't it was an interesting or it wasn't it wasn't bad I just didn't know what value it offered but here I'm clear on with a value it could offer you get that that's the point right and this is a process it takes time to weave this altogether not going to do this exercise have your tag line have your you know logo designed this is a process and it is a sequential process and it is an illiterate if process you're going to have to go round and round a few times to get it right to really shape it and mold it. So be patient with yourself and be gentle with yourself there's no one else who's laying it out like this you go to typically when you look at artist coaches or teachers that telling you get on the traditional route which you know apply for shows and contests and whatever you want to do that you can but I think it's waste time because I like to make art make money who's with me a good all right let's have another volunteer yes so I found the experience for the assignment very beneficial I mean thank you to my husband for sitting with me for four hours going through and you know, really talking about everything it was really emotional good I did that the three most painful times I did what I learned I have a long list of things that I would tell my grandchild that I have two young daughters so I mean it's very applicable to me I'm still having trouble connecting these values with the type of artwork that I create right? But I'm not sure which so you want to grab onto you got the cart before the horse so you're focused on one thing at a time if you try to tie it to what you're doing now it's an artificial connect ction just go through the process trust the process this is the part right? What all I want to do right now is pull out what the what? The lessons were that's all you know okay, I have the lessons and so I see the connection with you and with jane from yesterday that how their their values are informing the work that they do now and so I just I'm still having trouble seeing that connection right? So in fairness and in full transparency tara it had a phone consultation with me before for crew this creative life course and I've worked a little bit with jane also so I know a little bit about them that was easier for me to steer I think that I'd have to actually sit with you for a bit I'm happy to do that little bit after you know after the break we can't dive into it right now but it's a good illustration because you can see it's a process right you have to there's mohr exercises to dio there's more digging to dio and hopefully what you can do is review this course and look at some of the artists like kate like jenny even grammy dan you know look how they've evolved things and that should inspire your next step just keep your mind open don't try to rush to the solution don't try to rush to the end and that will help a lot because it's very that can actually take that can actually slow you down okay yes it's such a different way of thinking about things so it does just take a lot of time because it really is like what I'm that's what it's been like for me I have to like just sit with it a home less interesting because I know that it's true deep down but intellectual I can't think about it and figure it out so it's really just okay next next next vernon did it take a while for you it's so natural, so natural and you can't force it because one day when you're at least expect eating it like a walk on the beach or something that you have this epiphany and like that's it and then it you'll wonder why you were struggling and it wasn't it wasn't anything to struggle about cousin I compare it to like like having a mask of your face you can't see the mass but it's on you and you know it's there but you can't see it it's only when you take a deep breath that you actually and let all this stuff kind of simmer and and and really get into your psyche and really get delve down deep that it actually gently just comes up and goes, oh, you know what I think it is tio I think that the work that I'm creating it's beautiful and I love it, but I think I've been avoiding what I really want to be creating because it's more risky coming out now so no and terry in you I see it it just reaffirms that you can force that connection and I think maybe it's not adding value into the work that I'm creating although it is beautiful and people enjoy it, I think that for me personally I should be like I really want to do a series of abstract portrait that focus on empowering women and inspiring women and if I look at all of these pieces of advice and lessons that I've learned in life it all surrounds surrounds fitting in being a woman thes unrealistic expectations of beauty that we feel like we have to fit into and celebrating the beauty of who you are I mean I could go on for days and now I mean who's interested in that so ok I've just never report painted a portrait before so I think I just have to figure that out so so what I never had painted a landscape painting before I did it you can do it and so start small just say I'm going to do I'm gonna do one by this date and I'm going to find a mastermind partner I'm gonna find a coach I'm going to find it a friend who will hold me accountable and support me and that just that she needed it's just that simple it's just that simple just do it is nineteen says right okay so I'm good thank you very much for sharing appreciate it it's really helpful and hopefully it's helping people at home to connect the dots that this is a process it and it's it's when you take one step at a time you cannot I was saving famous for telling my students that I coach like I know you want to put the cherry on top of the cake but you really need to preheat the oven and matter that's the fun part is gonna be a massive fail there's gonna be a mess. They taste good. So, it's, be patient with yourself. All right? Would you like to hear some questions from the questions from the audience? Love, love, love your well, you know, there was a couple questions that we're coming in regard to thinking about this greatest pain and and why, why the importance of that greatest pain? And you touched on it a little bit this morning when you talked about the buddhist thought process but sunny days and said, my question is, what if we're going through a painful time at this particular moment? It's hard to know what the lesson is if we're still suffering through it, but often times when you're suffering through it. That's when you need your art the most. Well, I would say, if you can find the lesson and where stuff their suffering now, then that's fine. If not, I'm sure they had another time that they suffered and that they they could learn something phone that could become and that actually reflecting on that may actually help hell and inform the struggle that they're experiencing right now. Absolutely, kimmy was saying that when working through the exercise she must prefer to do it with pen and papers of the rather sitting in front of the computer typing because she had that connection. Is that something you recommend? Yeah yeah sometimes physically writing out I think actually is if is much more satisfying for people I think you just used the tool that works for you whatever works through there's no, there are no rules on ly in my book are there rules in terms of no rules? Tracy asked why the greatest pain could we also use our greatest joy? Yeah, actually that's the next part oh, that is the next part but I need teo I need to smack you down for it can lift you up. You know, it's definitely that is part of the process too that, you know, in fairness, you know, the entire process is quite deep and I'm packing and as much as I can in two days here, a creative life out of our bill is actually a regular the chance and a couple weeks ago he was actually here in the studio being a student himself and he's saying, you know, he really appreciate the front rows willingness to put themselves out there emotionally good for you saying these audience members are really doing well there's no pressure there's no progress yeah, no, it doesn't take a lot of courage and it is very helpful, not just for the student. But you know, it's, really. You don't know what you're sparking someone who someone sitting on the globe somewhere could be listening in and really relating to you, really relating to you. And you could be inspiring a shift in their perspective, or inspiring them to take action that they hadn't thought of committing to before. So it really is a wonderful collaborative, off of really a wonderful, collaborative experience.