Learn to professionally photograph your artwork for building a strong portfolio. Use basic photoshop techniques to create a perfect likeness to your original art. These files can be used time and time again for creating a print line or even a duvet cover! The wealth building options are endless when you have a great image of your art to work with. Also learn to copyright and protect your images.

Bonus video: How to use your images to license out and receive a monthly royalty check!

It can be easy to feel discouraged especially when we see other artists performing well and achieving a lot of success or when we feel our art isn’t good enough. We must break through the limiting beliefs we hold about ourselves and our work so that we can be successful. This was a tough one for me early on. Frequently I had limiting beliefs that I wasn’t good enough, my art isn’t good enough, the art world is too competitive, there aren’t enough buyers for my art, I can’t make a good living selling my art. These are all fears that I am sure many of us face from time to time. But it is important to know that they are only fears and not facts. They can be conquered.

Beliefs are just perceptions and how we have interpreted and emotionalized our experiences. They allow us to create a foundation for expectations and emotions that we experience every day. They help us understand and navigate the world more safely. While you may believe something to be true, most beliefs are assumptions and mistaken, and these beliefs can be broken and changed into truth.

There are exercises to help break through these limiting beliefs. First disconnect yourself from the negative information that you are exposed to, feeding you these fears. For example, I turned off all the notifications on my Facebook showing me the beautiful art I wish I could create and the friends who were rampantly selling art. Every time I would see these posts I would feel discouraged.

To achieve our goals and reach our full potential we must break through these limiting beliefs. You must identify your beliefs. These can manifest in many ways, but are often subconscious and we are unaware we have these beliefs in the first place. Some signs to look for is when you may have a negative feeling towards an aspect of your business, beyond just not enjoying to do it. No one enjoys doing taxes. You will make excuses and complain, or worry about making mistakes and failing. I know sometimes I am reluctant so start a giant painting because I am afraid of failing and making mistakes. I may have a limiting belief that I am not good enough to complete this painting, which is untrue. But I will try to make myself feel better by making excuses that I should only do small paintings because they sell better, or complain that no one buys large paintings anyway. I will then begin to procrastinate (another sign) and avoid painting a large painting.

It is important to check in within yourself when creating a goal if you are feeling any resistance. No goal is unachievable. Certainly you can create a goal that may be too difficult for you to achieve right now. But I say aim for the stars. If you want to make $100,000 this year, set the goal to $1 million dollars and back it up with conviction. Break through the limiting beliefs that you are incapable of achieving this and read about all the people just like you who achieved such a goal. You will find it is not impossible and you are just as capable. Even if you fail, wouldn’t you rather fail reaching for $1 million and only make $200,000 than reaching for $100,000 and only making $20,000? It takes the same amount of energy to make $100k as it does $1m, you just lack the strategy to get there. Breaking through your limiting beliefs will open you up to a whole new world of opportunities and strategies. When you realize you can achieve any goal and back it with conviction, anything is possible.

Create goals for yourself and choose your desired outcome. Begin to replace your limiting beliefs with empowering beliefs to help you attain your goal. Start asking questions to your limiting beliefs, asking yourself questions like, where did this belief come from? Is this belief accurate? Is there evidence to disprove this belief? Will this belief help me attain my goals? Also identify the consequences that may occur if you don’t break through this limiting belief. This will associate more pain to the belief which can motivate you to change. Consequences can be how this may affect you financially and your family’s stability. How will it affect me emotionally? How about my health, and relationships? How will it affect me short-term and long-term?

Breaking apart your belief is an important step to replacing it with truth and an empowering belief. Support your empowering beliefs with facts. If you choose to be an artist that sells $1 million dollars worth of art every year, get to know the artists that do. Study them and learn from them. What did they do that you aren’t doing? Obviously it is possible because many have achieved it, so you can too. Fill your new belief with conviction and success. Most likely there is someone out there who has achieved what you desire. There is no reason why you can’t too and you must strengthen this belief with constant inspiration and facts. Let these people be your mentors and guides.

You must strengthen this new belief. Look at your goal every day and study your mentors/guides. Commit yourself to change and lay out a plan to achieve your goal. Follow this plan. This plan can be tasks that you complete every day to move you towards achieving your goal. If you want to make $1 million dollars a year selling your art, perhaps start by coming up with new ways to bring in an additional $1000 per month. This could be teaching an art class, but then scale it. What happens if you train people to teach art classes and you teach them in multiple locations, or what if you taught art classes online and you have 1,000 students/followers that pay you $10 for each lesson?! A plan can also be for smaller goals such as painting a large painting. Maybe the first day is just getting the canvas on the easel and sketching out the idea. The next day add a little paint. Then the next day do a little more, until it is finished. Often times goals seem unachievable when we think of them in full, but when we break them down into manageable tasks every day, eventually we will reach the destination. Most importantly don’t ever give up!

YOU CAN DO THIS!