artist mindset
may 28 | weekly warm-up
What is the mindset of an artist? Make a list of the beliefs, values, boundaries, habits, and characteristics that according to you, define the artist mindset. Make a note of the qualities you currently have, and the ones you aspire to have. Pay particular attention to the qualities that require you to break conformity and forge your own path.
“What I must do, is all that concerns me, not what the people think. This rule, equally arduous in actual and in intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is the harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it. It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson
From the day we are born, we learn by imitating. It’s an instinctive behavior. We imitate facial expressions, physical postures and gestures, and speaking patterns. By fitting into the appearances and patterns of the group, we feel more secure, more accepted and sure of our actions.
Sometimes we become so blindly indoctrinated that we lose touch with our inner guidance altogether. In worst-case scenarios, this is how people end of up in cults or extremist groups. In everyday scenarios, this is how we end up with surface lives—limiting our abilities, failing to discover our innate talents and strengths, and betraying ourselves to stay within the confines of what the group considers normal.
We live in a society where advertising and social messaging say it’s ok to be different, but not too different. So when we answer the call to creative expression, there is a decision we have to make about breaking conformity and owning our identities as artists. I used to think of artists as other people, certainly not me. I didn’t think I was colorful or bold or esoteric enough to call myself that. It took me some time to develop the mindset of an artist. But embracing my identity as an artist was one of the mindset shifts necessary for me to break conformity and express myself in spite of what others are doing or what they might think of it.
What’s the mindset of an artist? What beliefs do you need to have to pursue your creative callings in spite of the temptation to stick to the status quo? I have my ideas, and I believe it will be worthwhile for you to consider that answer for yourself.