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I’m scared. And I think we all are. It is very scary to start a creative career wearing your heart on your sleeve. Learning how to become an artist can be so darn daunting! Telling the world that you’re going to try for something and very likely fail at a lot of things in front of them.

So how do we overcome this fear, and just how hard is it to become an artist?

We don’t, and it may be challenging, but we use tools in order to help ourselves get through it a little bit more.

How to Become an Artist

Fear #01: Getting a “Real Job”

The Fear

First fear I have encountered, I hear a lot of people encounter when considering how to become an artist, is getting a real job.

I remember in college I was told, you want to get a job that isn’t exhausting. You’re not like so tired by the end of the day or by the end of the night that you can’t focus on what you love.

I was also told because I went to school for theater, you don’t want to get a job that’s like during the day because then you can’t go to audition. But then there’s this fear of, you need to get a job, you need to make money, this projector is really bothering me.

There’s the fear of you want to get the job that is just at the right time that it’s like not during the day. So you can audition, but it’s not too late at night because then you’re too tired.

There’s the question of how long does it take to become an artist, and how to balance that with a job that allows you time to create.

And then there’s the big fear that we are fed by social media. You don’t want to get trapped in a full time job. We can sit there, stuck and counting down how many years to become an artist.

The Solution: Get a Projection Job (AKA, Remote Work)

The solution to this whole fear of, oh my gosh, I have to get a real job. I’m never going to be an artist because I’m going to be trapped in a job and I’m never going to be able to get out is to get a remote job because projections are all they are. And projections aren’t really real, but the money is.

So I would suggest getting a remote job, and there are so many remote jobs out there now. There are remote jobs that are full-time. There are remote jobs that are part-time. There are remote jobs that are, you know, flexible hours.

There are remote jobs in customer service. There are remote jobs in virtual assistance. There are remote jobs in, you know, social media management. There are remote jobs in graphic design. There are remote jobs in writing. There are remote jobs in editing. There are remote jobs in proofreading.

There are so many remote jobs out there that you can do from home that will allow you to have the flexibility to pursue your art and to pursue your passion while still making money.

Fear #02: “I’m the Only One Doing This!”

Another fear I find is that a lot of people feel like they’re the only ones trying to pursue this. They feel very lonely. I remember I did have a nice community of artists, I was in a performing arts school and even in college, like I was in the theater program, but, I grew up in a town where. I was like the only person who was pursuing this.

And so in that element, going to school every day, especially when it started getting around college, decision time, I felt a little bit like an outsider.

The Solution: Communities on Communities on Communities

Joining communities can be such a great step to learn how to become an artist, as they can provide the support, inspiration and valuable resources you need! There are two types: free and paid.

Free Communities

I think there’s a lot of great value in actually just finding people on YouTube to help you teach you what you need to know.

A lot of times YouTubers will have Facebook groups, Oh, join my free Facebook group, or some sort of, email list or something like that. That’s free content. And you do feel like you’re a part of the community.

Paid Communities

There’s going to be a very limited amount of value that you get from free Communities compared to paid communities

I find that if you really do need more accountability, you’re going to find these really well in paid communities, courses, things like that. I’ve bought blogging courses that come with access to a Facebook community.

I’ve bought other courses that come with access to a Slack community. And these are really great ways to connect with other people who are on the same journey as you.

And I find that these communities are really great because you’re all there for the same reason. You’re all there to learn and to grow and to support each other.

Fear #03: Failing (In Front of Everyone!)

This is probably one of my biggest fears, and it’s happened over and over again, and it’s fine. I was afraid of it, and then it happened, and then I was like, wow. Okay, I’m still alive.

The fear of failing in front of people. I mean, it’s incredibly difficult to start something when you initially tell people, guys, I’m starting this, join me on my journey!

The Solution: Keep Your Art Private (At First)

This is a very Sacred time for your business. This is a very precious time thinking of it as a birth, and I would personally not want a million people to witness me giving birth.

I think that’s the same for art. I think that’s the same for your business. I think that’s the same for your creative endeavors. I think it’s really important to keep it private initially. And I think that’s really hard to do because we want to share everything with everyone all the time.

Fear #04: Not Having Enough Time for Art

This last fear wasn’t really a fear that I knew until it happened, was this idea of not having enough time for my art.

This might go into the first one a little bit of like getting trapped in a full time job so now I don’t have time.

The Solution: Businessify Your Creativity

This kind of goes into really business-ifying your creativity by doing as much as you can carve out time for your creativity. This is an important part of learning how to become an artist – treating your creativity like a business.

Create Systems

Create systems for your creativity. What does that look like? That looks like having a place where you store all your…

• Ideas
• Materials
• Finished projects

Set Up Your Space

Set up your space for creativity. What does that look like? That looks like having a dedicated space for your art, writing, music, etc.

Schedule Time for Art

Schedule time for your art. What does that look like? That looks like putting it in your calendar. That looks like setting aside time every day or every week or every month to work on your art.

Set and Track Goals

Set and track goals for your art. What does that look like? That looks like setting goals for how many pieces you want to create, how many words you want to write, how many songs you want to write, etc.

There’s the fear of starting, continuing, going, failing, getting trapped, all of these aren’t actually physical fears.

They’re things that we have mentally put in our way, and that a lot of people put in their ways that ends up slowing them down from being able to pursue their dreams.

If you want a step by step way to know how to be an amazing artist in your own guidebook, including what to do your first six months, I would love for you to subscribe on YouTube so you can get some more creative inspiration. I will see you next time!