Just Because You Can, Doesn’t Mean You Should
Why doing everything means doing nothing.
“Always remember your focus determines your reality.” - George Lucas
The Artist’s Trap
Everywhere we go, there’s an opportunity to see art. Not everyone notices, but it’s all around us. There is; however, one rare breed of human who notices everything; “the Artist”.
The Artist is easily distracted during a routine family shopping trip. Most shoppers are laser-focused on the list. Not the Artist… The Artist will stop and look at books, greeting cards, tee-shirt designs, lamps, pretty much anything shiny.
The Artist notices a cool shirt, “I can do that!”
The Artist finds a unique pattern design for home decor, “I can do that!”
The Artist laughs at the funniest greeting card, “I can do that!”
You get the message…
If you look at the image at the top of this post, you’ll see an array of art products: Kids Book, Tee-shirt Design, Framed Art Print, Home Decor Design, all designed by yours truly. That’s right, I fell into the “I can do that!” Artist’s Trap.
Although I enjoyed making art for many purposes, I noticed I was spending less time on what I was most interested in creating, Picture Books.
You see, I was trying to do everything, but in doing so, I wasn’t doing what I really wanted to do. I believe this is because my art could be available to purchase immediately after creating my products. If I had an idea for a funny shirt, I could make it during the same day and begin selling it immediately. For this reason, I created hundreds of apparel & repeatable surface pattern designs and sold them on print-on-demand online retailers. Receiving an email about a sale felt exhilarating!
The problem with doing everything is that you spread your time too thin and take away from what’s most important. This might seem obvious; however, that is precisely why I call it the Artist’s Trap.
Let’s see how I split my time using a high-tech Art Attention Pie Chart (AAPC)1
Now What?
You’re now aware that you might be doing too many things. Whether it’s a podcast, YouTube channel, Social Media, Print-On-Demand art products, or something else, you understand that by taking on too many projects, you are actually saying “no” to what’s the most important thing.
Everyone has a different most important thing.
For me, it was two (2) things: Creating the best Portfolio and Writing and Illustrating Picture Books. That’s it!
Therefore, I closed all my shops and focused on the 2 most important things, which complimented each other. In order to pitch my books to Literary Agents, I needed to have an online Portfolio to represent my style and capabilities.
Here’s how I split my time.
What Happened?
After revising my Art Attention Pie Chart (AAPC) percentages, I was able to clean up my online Portfolio and finish a complete Picture Book Dummy to pitch to Literary Agents.
I signed with my Literary Agent.2
I’m hyper-focused on writing and illustrating Picture Books.
Admittedly, I sometimes miss making art for apparel and home decor; however, I quickly remind myself of the importance of focusing on the one thing rather than trying to do everything.
This Newsletter, for example, is an excuse to write publicly and give back with any helpful tips I think others may benefit from.
Closing
This isn’t just an artist’s problem. Many of us find ourselves taking on too many projects, hobbies, etc., only to fail on focusing on the most important thing.
What’s your most important thing? Are you giving it the attention and focus it deserves to achieve your goals?
Thank you for reading JUST ONE THING!
Until next time, keep drawing, keep writing, but most importantly - keep dreaming!
AAPC - Art Attention Pie Chart (not trademarked, but probably should the more I think about it).
A Literary Agent is very important if you endeavor to Write and/or Illustrate Kids Books. If you are only interested in Illustrating Kids Books, you can sign with an Illustration Agency.
Good advice! I often get the pull to do All The Things, partly because it looks fun, partly from pressure to create multiple streams of income. But it's definitely better to have focus.