If you think great-big things only happen to “other people,” I’m here to tell you that they will happen for you, too.
Great-big things are game-changers, the things that up-level your art career, the events that can transform your life.
Things like: Writing a best-selling book, having a museum or airport feature your work, selling your first $20,000 painting, signing a million dollar deal, or creating that charity program you’ve been dreaming about.
There is a formula for making great-big things happen, and I’m going to share it with you.
But first, I want to share a great-big thing that just happened for me and my husband, Drew.
Two weeks ago Drew and I and the kids drove across country from California to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to put on Drew’s first ever museum exhibit.
On the opening day of the MAKING WAVES – A Drew Brophy Retrospective Exhibit, over 1,000 people attended. It was a huge success and a dream come true for both of us!
But nothing great happens by accident. You have to dream it first, and we did.
Nearly 15 years ago, Drew and I set a long-term goal for his work to be exhibited in a museum retrospective. And while we had no idea at all how it was going to happen, we planned for it.
We saved Drew’s sketches. We kept records of his buyers and we maintained a master list on the details of all his paintings and sculptures.
We also kept the copyrights to all of Drew’s artwork so that we wouldn’t have to get permission to use any of his iconic images. We were able to sell Drew’s best images on various types of merchandise in the museum gift store.
This planning came in handy when it was time to pull nearly 100 pieces of art from various buyers for the exhibit, showing a 30 year career that began when Drew was 17 years old.
We had originally imagined that Drew’s retrospective would be held at the Laguna Beach Art Museum, as it is near our home and they often feature surf inspired artists. But, dreams don’t always come to you in the way that you imagine, and you have to be open to all possibilities. The Myrtle Beach Art Museum contacted us a few years ago, asking Drew to do his first retrospective there. It worked out great, because Drew grew up in Myrtle Beach South Carolina and it was where he got his early inspiration and his start to being an artist.
THE FORMULA FOR MAKING GREAT-BIG THINGS HAPPEN:
1 – SET A LONG-TERM GOAL: For something great and big to happen, first you have to DREAM IT. Roll it around in your mind. Think about what you want. And then decide that this dream is your long-term goal.
2 – BE OKAY WITH NOT KNOWING HOW IT WILL HAPPEN: Let go of the need to know how it will come about. Sometimes, things come to us in a very different way than we imagined. Be open to all possibilities.
3 – WRITE IT DOWN ON PAPER: Get a pen and a piece of paper, and write down your long-term goal. When we use pen on paper, we access a part of our brain that wants to solve problems. Your brain will work on this “problem” for you when you aren’t even thinking about it!
4 – KEEP YOUR GOAL IN MIND WHEN MAKING DECISIONS: If a decision you are about to make impacts your long-term goal in a negative way, be mindful of that.
Every decision you make will take you either closer to your long-term goal, or further away from it.
With every decision, ask yourself: “Does this take me closer to my long-term goal?” And if the answer is no, then choose accordingly.
Here’s a few examples: If your long-term goal is to travel the world, don’t buy a puppy! If it is to print a coffee table book of all of your art, be sure to keep all of your copyrights.
5 – BE COMMITTED AND PREPARE FOR IT: Commit to your long-term goal and be patient while you prepare yourself for it. The great-big thing you dream of will come to you when you’re ready. Start getting ready for it!
An example: If you dream of being a speaker on a TED stage, you would start giving talks in your local community. You would learn how to be a great speaker, by booking speaking engagements every week.
The bigger ideas take longer; have patience and don’t give up until it happens.
One last thing: Start telling people about your long-term goal! Some will want to help you bring it to life. Over time, if you continue to hold the vision of a long-term goal in your mind, opportunities and people will come to you that will help make it happen.
Please share in the comments, what is one great-big long-term goal that you are committed to? I’d love to know, share with me! (I included mine in the comments!)
Maria xxoo
