Musings of an unhinged mind.

Hi Friends,

Again this week I'm featuring a blog from Seth Godin ........this has to do with marketing, but it speaks clearly to what holds so many artists from creating some memorable work. And art really is marketing yourself, in a very personal way. I know it has controlled my art too much. Doing what's safe means doing work that pretty much looks like just part of the crowd. But it's safe.

So thank you Seth, the weird mind that lives within is going to get a chance to be heard!

SABOTAGE!

"Just about all sabotage is self-sabotage.

We don't get forced to eat that cookie, we choose to. And so the diet is ended.

Marketing self-sabotage is fascinating to watch and understand. Consider the college application: it's primarily an opportunity for teenagers who aren't sure of where they want to go to undercut their chances by exposing their uncertainty. The lizard brain, the voice in the back of the head that wants security and safety--it's not eager to go to a college that might be 'too hard' or 'too good'. The easy thing to do is to scale back the effort, not do what works, but do what feels right instead.

Or consider the way we resist opportunities to lead, to connect, to do work that matters. We don't resist because we're not capable of it... we resist because if our marketing fails, if we don't get the job or earn the trust, then we're off the hook. No promises made, which means no promises to keep.

We know more than enough about marketing now. We know how to craft a story that will spread, we know how to find and lead tribes. The thing we have trouble with is making the commitment to do it even when it's frightening and difficult."

This newest Scratchboard Etching really isn't weird, but still outside what I would "normally" do. I hope you enjoy it!

Joy Ride(c)  Scratchboard Etching  10x8"

So now with renewed conviction, more promises will be made, more chances will be jumped on, and I'm not afraid of failing either, because there are always more ideas......

Keep Coloring Outside the Lines,

Sandra

(ps.....check out the other Scratchboard Etchings and Oils on my web site....click here Sandra Haynes.)